The Prince the Peasant Girl
by MRDarling
Summary: Story idea came from a Korean manhwa called "Goong" or "Princess Hour". Story is about a Prince who is dreamy but spoiled and a normal girl thrown into royal society. How will these two people live and cope with each other. Love story. Still writing and please review. :)
1. Chapter 1-Private School

The Prince and the Peasant Girl

Story Idea came from the Korean manhwa "Goong" or "Princess Hour" by Park So-Hee. It is a very good manhwa. None of the characters are named the same in this story.

Preface: A long, long time ago, a promise was formed

The year was 1946, and out in the countryside lived a young prince who was about 7 years old named Alex. He lived in the country for most of his life and his father lived in the capital city called Lorraine reigning over the people. His mother was a dutiful wife and mother. She took great care of her child and with another one on the way. The prince had become friends with one of the boys who lived close by his large house.  
The boy was a "peasant" boy named Henry, his parents were farmers and lived honest lives. The little boy was the same age as the prince. The prince and the boy became fast friends. They went everywhere together. They went to the fishing pond together, they went to see picture shows, went to festivals and parties. They grew up fast, both boys went to the country's top university together. The prince studied law, diplomacy, sociology and various other subjects such as French, English and Greek. The "peasant" boy studied law and the English language.

One day, the prince's father passed away and then it became the prince's job to take over his father's position as king. He became King Alexander VII, king of Forestier. He had graduated with honours in his subjects, he was very smart. He also married a beautiful foreign girl from Italy who had wealth and a title to her name. The "peasant" boy graduated and suddenly had found himself as the prince now the king's advisor which was a great honour for him and his family. He soon married a local girl from the capital city Lorraine. Both King and Peasant were blessed with children.

Then, the good, great King became sick and was old. He called for his best friend, the peasant boy whom he grew up with and trusted with all his heart. He gave his best friend an elephant carved ivory box and he had one himself for his family. Inside were gold rings and the King's jade seals, one in each box. The inside of each ring was inscripted "Family forever". The King wanted their families to be united. Their children had already grown and married so the boxes were for their grandchildren. His best friend promised to give the box to his grandchild and that their families will be united. King Alex's first born son had to promise that his child would marry his best friend's grandchild and signed and stamped the decree so the prince could not break the promise. The King passed away quickly one stormy night and the country mourned the loss of such a great king.

His son, Prince Alec, became King Alec VI and the ivory box was placed inside of the family vault with all of the family jewels and relics. The peasant, Henry, passed of old age years later. Before he passed, he told his first born son about the box and that his son's child would marry into royalty. His ivory box was placed on a mantel above the fireplace and collected dust. And thus, a promise had formed, that the two families would unite, the King and his best friend forever.

Chapter 1: Private School

Orianna sat in her homeroom class with some of her fellow students before the start of the school day. The school year had started a couple of weeks ago at the end of August. She had turned sixteen in the beginning of August and felt grown up. She smiled to herself thinking about cars and going places by herself without having to have her mother or father take her places. She also wanted to get a job, maybe in of the nice clothing stores not far from her school. She goes to a private school where the rich and famous send their spoiled children to learn. How she got into the school she never figured out, her parents would never tell her no matter how hard she pressed them. Her parents did not make enough money to afford the thousands of dollars tuition each year. She was in her third year of high school. She has been at this private school since she was five.

She heard girls screaming and yelling outside of the classroom and knew the prince was coming. Yes, she went to school with the prince or rather the crown prince of Forestier. His name was Alex, short for Alexander. She hated him. He has been in every single one of her classes since she started her school career at the age of five. She wanted just one year without him in any of her classes. She would never admit it but the prince was gorgeous. It seems all of the royal family look gorgeous, it must be a family trait. He was tall with dark hair, intense but intelligent dark eyes, a straight nose, and his mouth was beautiful to look at. He always looked perfect, like a greek god. The girls were hanging off his arms when he walked into the classroom, he spoke softly to the girls causing them to giggle then run out of the classroom finally gone and presents were left on his desk of cakes, cookies, and other goodies. He looked smug, the corners of his lips turned up, she wanted to smack him and at the same time just stare at his princely glory.

Homeroom went under way then Orianna, or Anna for short, moved to her different classrooms. She avoided contact with the prince as much as possible. She usually sat a few seats behind the prince in each class, her history, science, math, and literature classes. Oddly enough, she was in his band class as well. She hated being in that class. She didn't even ask to be in that class, it showed up on her schedule when she was in her first year of middle school. She had tried to get out of the class every year and she received the same answer every year.

"Sorry, the computer is acting up and it could take weeks to take you out of the classroom. Besides, students who play an instrument do better in school!"

And so, she learned how to play the flute and the prince played the drums of course, he also played the piano, the guitar, the violin and a couple of other instruments she couldn't pronounce. She hated him. He was smarter and more talented than her and popular only because of his title of prince.

Lunch hour, every year and every week and every day, was horrible. She was always stuck in the same lunch hour with the prince. The prince had a "special" room he ate in away from the others, his friends and girls he liked for the week would come to eat with him in the room and of course, poor Anna, was stuck in that room with him since she was five years old. Lunch was always bad for her, she would sit in the corner of the room by herself with her plastic lunch box and be ignored by the others, she was allowed one friend, her friend Michael to eat with her. Michael was a year older than her and they became fast friends when the prince had thrown her babydoll into the dirt when she was five in the playground. Michael came to the rescue and brushed the doll off and handed it back to her. Since then, they played and ate together. This year has been her worst with eating in this room, Michael had gone away to America to study abroad for his final year and thinking about attending university there. How she envied him. She opened her plastic lunch box and pulled out chips, ham sandwich, a juice box and an apple. She ate in silence as she watched the prince eat with his buddies and flirt with girls who wore too much make-up and shortened their school skirts by two or three inches above the knees. When lunch ended she was pulling cookie pieces out of her hair, one of Alex's friends thought it would be funny to throw cookies at her during lunch and Alex and his friends laughed.

She was in Art club which met once a week, it was the one thing she looked forward to every week. The Prince wasn't in Art club which was so amazing. She could be herself and relax. She had a few friends in that club. She wondered now that Michael was gone if one of her friends from Art class could eat with her.

"I drew a picture of Prince Alex!" squealed one of her friends, her name was Mitzy. She was short with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She was very cute. She held up her sketch of the prince. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Mitzy, there are better subjects to draw besides him. Like me!" she grins at Mitzy. Mitzy laughed and clung to her drawing.

"Ah, I wish he would just look at me. He has such dreamy eyes and a beautiful mouth begging to be kissed." Mitzy brought her sketch up to her face and kissed it.

"Ew, gross. I don't understand why you even like him. He's mean." Anna made a face and pushed the sketch away from Mitzy before Mitzy slobbered all over it. Her friend did a great job drawing the Prince. She must have found a picture of him in one of her many teen magazines to copy. "Don't slobber on your sketch, my dear"

"He's not mean. He is misunderstood. I wonder what it would be like to be married to him!" Mitzy then squealed and almost crumpled up her sketch of the Prince from excitement. Anna rolled her eyes once more.

"Being married to him? I think he would be a mean husband and allow his friends to throw cookies at you" Anna said with a scowl, her fingers moved to her hair making sure all of the cookie crumbs are out of her dark blonde hair.

"Oh well, it's just a nice thought you know. I'm sure his parents have his wife picked out for him already. It must be hard not to marry for love" Mitzy lamented with a dramatic sigh. Anna smiled and reached over taking her friend's hand.

"Mitzy, you know...um, I do eat in the same room during lunch hour with the Prince. I am allowed one friend. I will see if..maybe...you could eat with me?" Anna quickly pushed her hands against her ears to muffle the loud scream of elation from her friend and backed up, her friend looked like she was having a seizure with her arms flailing around. Once her friend calmed down enough, Anna dropped her hands from her ears. "So, I take that as a yes?"

"You kidding me! I can't believe this! This is every girl's dream! Of course it's a YES!" yelled Mitzy, her eyes bright and happy. Anna chuckled.

"Why do you eat with him in that room anyway" asked Mitzy with her head tilted to the side, her blonde curls bouncing slightly.

"Um, you know, I've tried to ask and never got a straight answer. I've eaten with the Prince since as long as I can remember." Anna shrugged her shoulders.

"You know what would be hilarious? If you were that girl he would end up marrying one day!" laughed Mitzy. Anna knocked on the wooden desk in front of her not wanting to be jinxed.

"Oh, yes, a real laugh Mitzy. Me, a common girl married to him? You know how much I don't like him and he doesn't like me. He never talks to me" Anna said and got her paint brushes out. "Let's just drop the subject and paint.". Soon her other club members joined that she loved hanging out with, John, Abby, and Raj.

The club meeting ended and Anna walked out of the room holding her dirty cup with dirty black water and paint brushes sticking out at the top of the cup. She wished she had watched where she was going. She was busy staring at the dirty cup of water and looked up too late and hit the Prince who was walking towards her in the hallway. She spilled the nasty water over the front of his shirt. She made a loud gasp, her mouth in the shape of an "o". He looked down at his white button up school shirt with the school emblem over the pocket then back at her. People started to gather in the hallway. Mitzy was behind Anna with her mouth in the shape of an "o" too.

"It was an accident" said her friend John standing behind Anna as well. John was about the same height as the Prince, he has freckles going across the bridge of his nose and his hair was a light red colour.

"Who asked you ginger? Look at what that peasant girl did to my shirt!" he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled off his white undershirt which was also dirty. His chest was bare and Anna had a good close up of how chiseled his was. He had a six pack going on. Anna took a step back. The girls in the hallway were all giggling and chittering about the Prince without a shirt on. One girl took a picture on her smartphone. Mitzy was on the verge of passing out and fanning herself. Her other friend Abby, a black haired girl who played basketball and loved to draw was wide-eyed and trying to find her smartphone in her purse.

"I'm really sorry. I'll buy you a new shirt" Anna said. The Prince sneered at her and shoved her out of the way spilling more nasty water but this time on herself. "Hey! I said I was sorry! I'm getting tired of being shoved and pushed and stuff thrown at me". The Prince stopped and turned to face her. His gave her a cold look.

"I will push, shove, and throw stuff at whomever I want Peasant Girl. You will be my main target from now on until we graduate, you are in a world of hurt now girly" he said in a low growl. Anna clenched her teeth and tilted her head up high, she had no idea what came over her. She walked closer to him and threw the dirty paint brushes at him then dumped the rest of the water over his head. She had to stand on her toes to dump the rest of the water over his head and the brushes lay all over the floor. He stood there sputtering with black, nasty paint splotches on his chest and shoulders and his hair dripping with dirty water.

"You will not speak to me that way, prince or not. You should respect the people around you" she growled back at him then stomped off down the hallway with her four Art friends following behind her. Her heart was racing and she felt shaky now. Her friends could not believe she did that to the prince of all people. The Prince was yelling at her to come back but she ignored him. All those years of him being mean to her had caught up with him that day, Anna finally got back at him.


	2. Chapter 2-Very Suddenly Engaged

Chapter 2: Very Suddenly Engaged

Anna had skipped home from school. She was so happy, the world looked brighter and the air fresher, the birds were singing so sweetly. She swung her leather school bag back and forth as she skipped. She laughed loudly when she got to the gate of her house and punched in the code in the keypad. The gate swung open, she skipped inside then saw that her mother was home and holding the door open. Anna slowed down, the smile fading from her lips. Her mother was waving for her to hurry up and looked very serious.

"What is the matter?" Anna asked her mother. Her mother took her by her upper arm and pulled her quickly into the house. Her father was home too and sitting in the living room holding the ivory box in his lap. He gave her a small smile. Anna hung back. "What is going on? Did something bad happen?" Anna asked starting to sound upset.

"No, no, nothing bad happened...well...just listen" her father said, he pushed his horn rimmed glasses up his nose then pointed to the arm chair. "You need to sit down Anna, my dear". Anna sat down in the armchair waiting for the news and looked at the ivory box. She remembered playing with the box one day as a small child and her mother scolded her then put the box up high and said to never touch it again.

"We found out that our king..."her father looked up at the ceiling and said a soft prayer then moved his fingers to touch various points to make a cross "Our king...is very ill. He has cancer that he is not able to recover from, he is too far gone. Prince...Prince Alex...will have to marry very, very soon." her father looked down at the ivory box with the beautiful elephants engraved around the sides and on the top. He pulled the top off the box and stared down inside of the box pulling out the jade seal of the former king and a small, velvet blue bag. He opened up the small bag and pulled out the gold band from inside it.

"So, the King is sick and the Prince has to marry. I don't get it" Anna said. "Why are you telling me this?" she shook her head. She was afraid of the answer.

"Because, former King Alexander, God Rest his Soul, was best friends with your grandfather. They promised each other that their...their grandchildren would marry." her father said and held up the gold ring for Anna to see. Anna stood up from her armchair.

"You are saying that...I'm...to marry the...the Prince?" she asked, it was hard for her to breathe, the room was spinning, she had to sit down again. "Why didn't you tell me this say...while I was growing up and not right now huh?" she said angrily.

"I am very sorry Anna, we should have told you much sooner and what was in the box. We just hopped...anyway. Yes, the Prince has to marry first before he can take the throne. His father is very ill and the royal family has asked us to take you to the castle tonight, you will live there. This box, the ring and the seal are yours, you will give the box to them." he said, she could see he was upset, he did not want her to leave home yet. He placed the ring back into the small blue bag then closed the ivory box. He shoved the box between her hands. "You should start packing your clothes."

OOOOOO

The castle was abuzz when the Prince came back from school. He did not want to be home. It was hard for him to go see his dying father and hear his rattling breaths and his mother who was devoted to her husband crying when she thought no one knew. He walked to his large bedroom and dumped his leather bag into the black leather arm chair, he sat down on the bed kicking off his shoes and opened up his jacket, his chest was bare, his school shirt was destroyed by that stupid girl.  
He laid back on the bed on his back staring up at the gold swirls and patterns on his ceiling. He heard a soft knock on the door and his mother's head popped in.

"Alex, my love, may I come in?" she asked, his mother looked tired, her black hair was coming loose from the bun. He nodded his head, he got off his bed and pulled on a gray t-shirt to cover up. She stepped into the room and clasped her small hands in front of her.

"Alex, your father and I spoke today with the advisors and we feel it is time to bring the girl here. We feel it best for you to get married in three weeks. Your father does not have much time and your cousin, as we know, is trying to take the throne. The girl will arrive here tonight" she gave him weak smile.

"Yes Mother, I will do whatever it takes to keep the throne" he smiled at her then wrapped his arms around his small mother and held her. He hated to see her upset. She hugged her son then pulled away from him.

"I will go back to your father and start planning for the wedding. I wish...I wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish we could wait for you to be out of high school and maybe almost finished with college before you get married and have hundreds of people at the wedding" she said sadly then squared off her shoulders giving him a forced smile "I will just be getting a daughter earlier than I expected! It will be nice to dress her up in pretty clothes and talk about girl things. I must go finish with seeing to the finer details of the girl's room" This caused the Prince to laugh.

"Yes Mother, I hope you can dress her up and talk about girly things. You would like that" he kissed her cheek then his mother, Queen Justine walked out of his bedroom to go back to her husband. Alex grabbed his leather bag off the chair and sat on his bed to work on homework while he waited for the girl to arrive.

OOOO

Orianna arrived at the huge castle after the sun had set. The huge gates had let her and her parents in. Their small Toyota car rolled to a stop in front of the castle front doors. A footman opened the door for her and bowed then her parents got out of the car opening the trunk. A couple of servants dressed in black suits and white bow ties came out of the front door to help carry in her suitcases and bags. Orianna felt a lump in her throat and told herself she would not cry. She should be in awe that she was at the castle and about to step inside of it. No one from the general public was allowed inside of the castle. She was not the general public any more.  
She stepped up the stone stairs to go inside of the castle. She looked around the great foyer. Maids and Butlers were standing in a row on her left waiting to be called, they bowed to her which made her jump. The room was beautiful, dark cherry wood beams, vaulted ceiling, white and silver furniture, oriental rugs on the stone floor, paintings of royalty on the walls and fresh flowers in Ming vases. She was careful not to touch anything since she was prone to being clumsy. Her parents walked in behind her in awe of the room.

"It's so beautiful" breathed her mother as she looked around the room.

There was a soft "ahem" and Orianna looked over to the large twisting stone staircase, the Queen was standing there in the flesh. Orianna could not believe it. She has only seen the Queen and King on the television only. Orianna gave a clumpy curtsy as did her mother and her father bowed. The Queen looked beautiful but tired. The Queen glided down the stairs towards them holding out her small and delicate hands towards Orianna. She took Orianna's hands giving them a squeeze.

"It is so lovely to finally see you Orianna. I am most pleased. I know this is all a rather big...shock to you but I am here to help you settle into life here in the castle. I am sure your parents have told you as to why you have come to the castle and what is to be expected of you very soon." she smiled again with crinkles in the corners of her pretty brown eyes. "Thank you ever so much for bringing your daughter here. As I am sure, it would be most difficult to let her go. I will give you a few minutes to say goodbye then she will be off to be groomed and washed for bed." she then gave her parents each a handshake then glided back up the stairs to let them alone.

Her mother sniffed loudly and gave her daughter a huge hug not letting go. Orianna's head was crushed against her mother's shoulder. She patted her mother on the back awkwardly.

"It's alright, Mom! I'm sure I can come visit and you can come visit me." Anna said and continued to pat her mother on the back. Her father came over and hugged both of them. His arms were wrapped about them holding both his girls tightly.

"Anna, remember to be a good girl and listen to the Queen. She will help you. We will come visit as much as we can my love." her father said with a strain in his voice. She knew he was trying not to break down into tears.

"Sorry Miss Orianna, the Queen would like for me to take you up to your room now" a soft spoken maid said, she curtsied to Anna. Her parents said more tear-filled goodbyes before being shown out of the castle. Anna was taken up the stairs. She looked around taking what she could see. They moved to the east end of the castle wing, it was a bit of a walk, her legs were tired. She never noticed how large the castle actually was.

Finally, they had reached her new bedroom. It was huge, it could fit her entire living room and kitchen at home. The room had cream coloured walls,a four poster queen sized bed with cream fabric draped around the tops of the bed, deep red silk bedding, she had a huge walk in closet, the floors had deep red plush carpet and a beautiful vanity. She had a desk with a new laptop on it with a touch lamp. She also had a phone on her desk that was red. She sat on the bed unable to say anything.

"Miss, it is time to take a bath and get you ready to see the Queen" the maid informed her.

It was all like a dream, even the bathroom was amazing. It was mostly made from marble and the tub was so huge that five people could easily fit inside. She had pink bubbles and sweet smelling shampoo. It was awkward to have maids scrubbing her down and washing her hair. Her skin felt raw when she got out of the tub. The maids worked on her hair and clothes until finally they were satisfied with the results. Orianna looked at herself in her new vanity mirror. She touched her cheek which felt so soft and her skin looked bright. Her dark blonde hair was pulled half up with gentle curls. Her make-up looked pretty, it wasn't too much and had a more neutral tones. She noticed that her dress was designer and so were her kitten heeled shoes.

Anna was then whisked out of her bedroom to go to the Queen's study. Another long walk for her. There were so many doors she was sure she would never be able to find her room again. She stepped into the Queens study room which was mostly blue in colour. The Queen snapped a leather notebook shut and placed her book and pen on the table beside her then smiled at Anna. Anna curtsied as best she could and fumbled it up.

"Please, sit down my dear" the Queen said and motioned to an plush blue velvet arm chair in front of herself. Anna quickly sat down and placed her hands in her lap not sure what to do. She was so nervous, her heart was beating a hundred miles per hour. Her palms were wet and sweaty from nerves.

"So, you know as to why you are here. You will marry my lovely son. I am sad to say that my husband is very ill and so we must hurry this wedding along. My son wants to remain on the throne when...my husband passes and to do that he must marry. This is a very unusual circumstance, we have never had someone...like you here in the castle. You will be taught by me on how to behave like a princess, you will learn the family history and you will learn how to be a wife." the Queen said and folded her delicate hands gently in her lap. Anna tapped her foot nervously and nodded her head. "My son will come in now so I must leave. Once you two have spoken you will be taken back to your bedroom for the rest of the night." the Queen stood up and Anna stood up too giving her another curtsy as the Queen left and gave Anna another smile.

Anna sighed loudly. This was all too much to take in, this new life she will have to live and share now with the Prince. The Prince whom she hated and loathed most of her life. The door swung open and Anna turned to see the Prince. He looked her over from head to toe. he was dressed in a black tailored suit and silk purple tie, his black hair was slicked back, he looked very handsome. He walked over to Anna and bowed to her.

"Hello, Orianna Reins" he drawled and Anna glared him. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head the other way not looking at him. "It seems that we are to be married in three weeks time" this news made Orianna gasp.

"Three weeks? That's so soon! Why so soon?" she asked and seemed upset. Three weeks will come up so quickly. She has no clue how to plan a wedding. She has algebra and history exams to worry about.

"Yes, three weeks. My mother, I am sure, has mentioned that my father is very...ill." his voice was strained when he mentioned his father then it gathered in strength "My mother has already started planning our wedding. So, now, I must officially ask". Alex bent down on one knee and grabbed her left hand holding it gently. He looked up at her with his big brown eyes. Anna's heart skipped a beat. This was all so fast. She did not want to be engaged then married off so quickly. She did not want to become his wife though thousands of girls across the country would die to be in her shoes. "I ask you to be my wife" he said in a low voice.

"I..er..." all she could do was stare at him.

"Good, not like you have much of a choice," he smirked at her and pulled out an emerald cut diamond ring and slipped it onto her left ring finger. He stood up and dusted off his knee. "Now, my mother will officially announce it to the country tomorrow. And tomorrow we will stand outside of the castle for all the world to see." he laughed at seeing her stunned face.

"But I..." and she didn't have time to say anything else, the Prince had turned and walked out of the room leaving her alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Announcement to the World

Chapter 3: Announcement to the Word

Anna woke up the next morning in a panic. She was confused and the room was unfamiliar. She sat straight up in the bed, her hair stuck up in places. She stabbed herself in the eye with the ring on her finger when she tried to rub her eyes awake.

"Ouch!" she blinked her eye rapidly until the pain was gone. "Stupid ring, stupid prince" she yelled and jumped out of her bed. Maids swooped into the room to get her ready for school, she shrugged their hands off her and got ready for school herself, she did not need their help in dressing.

A maid showed her down to the dining room. A maze of stairs and doors, she wondered if she would ever get used to all the stairs and doors. The dining room was very large, enough to fit a hundred or so people in it. The Prince sat at the long oak table wearing his school uniform. He peered over the top of the newspaper at her then placed the newspaper down on the table.

"Servant, she is not ready to eat breakfast, her hair is not done and her face is ugly. Fix her up so I can eat my food and not stare at this...this horribly messy girl" he said, a couple of maids curtsied low and moved their hands under Anna's arms to drag her out of the room.

"What? I am ready for school! I brushed my hair! What are you talking about? I want to eat my damn breakfast! Let me go!" she pushed herself out of the maids grasping hands. The Prince laughed at her, the maids had another hold on her and pulled her out of the dining room. Anna tried to free herself but nothing she did worked.

Minutes later, Anna walked back into the dining room and slapped the newspaper out of the Prince's hands. Her hair was loosely curled and pulled back nicely with a jeweled clip, her make-up was done nicely.

"I hate you! Don't push me around like that again!" she growled at him then stomped off to a chair at the far end of the long table to get away from him. Alex pressed his fingers together in front of him and looked over his fiance sitting at the far end.

"I think you have a misunderstanding here Miss Orianna. I am the prince and whatever I say goes. If you do not look presentable for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you will be taken away to be...fixed up." he smirked at her and picked up his glass sipping the orange juice before speaking again "Also, today is very important. After school, you will be dressed. All I require of you is to smile and wave to the public. Do not speak to anyone while we are out there, understand?"

Anna scowls at him and stuffs a piece of toast into her mouth and chews. The toast tasted very good, kind of sweet. She then picks up her glass of orange juice taking a large gulp. "Whatever", she mumbled.

"Good, we will go to school together now. If you are late, I am going to ask the limo driver to leave without you" he chuckled to himself and grabbed the newspaper from off the floor that she had knocked from his hands earlier.

"Whatever" she mumbled again. She stuffed some ham into her mouth then scrambled eggs. The Prince ignored her while she ate knowing she was acting that way to annoy him.

The drive to school was quiet, she didn't say a word to him the whole way there. She never knew it took the Prince only ten minutes to drive from the castle to the private school. The limo had two small flags waving in the front so people would know that someone from the royal family was inside. Anna stepped out of the limo surprised at all the girls waiting for the Prince to come out. The fan girls with their signs and pictures looked confused. One girl even shouted "Where is the Prince? Why is SHE in the car?". She got shoved out of the way as soon as the Prince stepped out of the limo.

"Well sorry I wasn't the person you hoped the see!" she shouted at the screaming fan girls who ignored her. Classes went by quickly but had noticed that the female students in the school were looked at her funny. It unnerved her with the evil stares and whispers. Lunch time had rolled around and she waited for Mitzy to show up. She waited for ten minutes for her friend who never showed. She hoped Mitzy was either busy or sick for the day and not angry at her. John, however, had showed up instead.

"Hey John!" she grinned at him, happy to see a kind face. John looked shyly at her.

"Hey Anna, so...I heard you got out of the Prince's limo this morning. Is that true?" he asked, his face was hoping it wasn't true. Anna's smile fell from her lips, the Prince seems to show up in conversations often.

"Yes, it is true and I can not tell you why" she said flatly to him.

"I see...royal business huh", John backed away from her. She felt a rift had started to form now.

"You there!" shouted Alex from the doorway to the room they eat lunch in. Anna jumped and John jumped as well. "Get away from her!" he waved his hand to shoo John away. John turned quickly and hurried down the hallway not glancing back. Alex smirked, he seemed content at shooing off a "peasant".

"What was that for? He's my friend" she glared at him and clenched her teeth.

"I do not want you to have male friends." Alex said simply then laughed at her face. Anna was turning red with anger.

"Oh, so now you dictate who I can be friends with too?" she yelled at him, a couple of people in the hallway stopped to stare at them.

"Oh, when everything is said and done, I will dictate a lot more than that" he roared with laughter and pulled away from the door. Anna wanted to slap his face, punch and kick him in the gut.

"I don't think you will" she yelled after him. She was seething, her hands clenched into fists and shaking. She heard him laughing more inside of the room. She stomped into the room where his friends gathered around him laughing at something he had said. She stood in front of him shaking with rage.

"Yes? If you are going to just stand about, go stand over there so I don't have to look at you" Alex pointed to the corner of the room. Anna pushed a couple of his friends aside then raised her hand, Alex laughed again and did not pay her any attention. She slapped him hard, with a loud SMACK that echoed around in the room. Alex's head snapped back from the slap and everyone became very quiet. No one had ever slapped him before, she was sure of it but she was not going to be bossed around and treated like dirt. The look on Alex's face made her regret what she had done. She had never seen him look that angry.

"Everyone out of the room and close the door" he whispered, it sounded deadly, his eyes never left her face as people scrambled from the room quickly, she heard the door shut behind her. She gulped and took a step back.

"I'm...sorry...you got me so angry..."she stammered and continued to back up. Alex got up from his chair and shoved the table aside, it went flying off to the side hitting the wall and caused her to jump. He moved in on her quickly, her back pressed up against the wall and she had nowhere to go. He was much bigger than her and stronger. She moved her arms in front her face to shield from any blows he may give her. Alex shoved her arms down forcefully and grabbed her face with his hand pulling her away from the wall. She whimpered, her face hurting.

"You will never, ever do that to me again. Do you understand?" he whispered to her, his face inches from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and nodded her head once. "You slapped me and you know we have to be in front of the public this afternoon. People will see this huge mark on my face thanks to you, what do you have to say for yourself?" he growled at her, she opened her eyes, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again" she whispered. Alex let go of her face and fixed his school uniform. He righted the table he threw aside. Anna rubbed her sore face not sure if she will bruise or not from how rough he was with her.

"Sit down and eat your lunch" he snapped at her and put a chair in front of the table for her to sit down on. He pulled up another chair and sat in it. Anna sat down in the chair and did not say a word.

School had finally ended for the day and the ride back to the castle was once more quiet. She wanted it that way. Her jaw was sore from earlier. The limo had stopped by the large garage near the back of the castle way from private viewing. She got out of the limo before him and ran to her bedroom. She wanted to be alone for a few moments before the maids come and invade her personal space in getting her ready for the big announcement.

Two hours after coming back from school she was bathed, dressed and fixed up to be in front of cameras, journalists and hundreds of people. She was even more nervous to be in front of all of these people combined than when she had first met the Queen. She wore a mate silver dress that went down to her feet and silver strappy high heels. Her hair was in a french twist with silver jewels, the dress was form fitting and showed off her curves which she did not know she had.

She was taken to a room that was in various shades of white. Alex walked in moments after her in another tailored suit, he had a sash across his chest with family crests and pins all across the sash, he looked like how a prince should look. He had a bit of cover-up make-up for the hand print on the side of his face. He looked her over from head to toe once more with a smirk forming on his lips.

"You look...very lovely Orianna, or should I say Anna" he said to her and took her hand and placed it on the crook of his right arm. "Don't be nervous."

"How did you know I was nervous?" she asked and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"You are shaking so that means you are nervous" he simply stated. A man walked into the room wearing a tux and a white flower in his breast pocket. He looked over the Prince and his fiancee to make sure everything was just so.

"You two ready?" the man asked. She could only guess he was one of the PR people for the royal family.

"Yes, we are ready" the Prince said.

The PR man opened up the double doors to the room. Orianna was half dragged by the Prince out onto the castle balcony. The Queen had already made the announcement earlier that way to the public moments before they walked out. She was blinded by all the flashes from cameras and all she could do was smile and wave. Her eyes adjusted and she could see hundreds of people had filled the castle courtyard, many of them waving the country's flag, camera crew, journalists, and fellow country men all around. The noise was unimaginable. She was sure she would deaf from all the screams, yells and clapping from everyone in the courtyard. She glanced at Alex who was all smiles and waved. She felt a bit proud, standing there and beaming at the people. This was her country and they are thrilled to see her, they wanted to see her and more about her. She laughed softly to herself unable to help herself. She felt like a superstar. She barely heard Alex laughing beside her. She wondered if her laughing caused him to laugh.

Alex waved a bit more then held their hands up high into the air. The crowd cheered loudly. Anna laughed again and waved with her other hand. Alex turned to her, his hand had gently turned her head toward him. She was uncertain to what he was doing. He leaned forward and pressed his soft lips against her own. The noise stopped, she couldn't hear anything. She was only aware of Alex and his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and kissed back gently. His lips felt good and molded against her own. She didn't want the kiss to stop. He pulled back and she became aware of the noise. It was even louder than ever before. That kiss was seen throughout the country and the world.


	4. Chapter 4: It's Just Life

Chapter 4: It's Just Life

Anna had a hard time for days, more like almost two weeks. Her face was everywhere now. All of the news stands, posters in shops, face on mugs and tea towels. Newspapers had stories of her life and family with personal pictures of her growing up. Front page covers were various pictures of that kiss on the balcony in front of everyone. Seeing those pictures made her blush every time. Wild rumors had started that the Prince was marrying her because she was pregnant and that they were long time lovers. The tabliods were looking for "baby bumps" and photos were pasted all over the rag magazines about it. Those kind of stories made her blood boil. Long time lover? Pregnant? No...way.

School was abuzz with the news, people congratulated her and the prince on the announcement of the engagement and the upcoming wedding in a few weeks. Her friend Mitzy was nowhere to be seen, not even in Art club. She had a sneaking feeling that Mitzy was angry with her about being engaged with to the Prince. Her other Art friends wanted to know details of living in the castle. They pressed her on information about her room, the maids, the food, what does the Prince do in his spare time, what does the Prince like to eat, what does the Prince like to wear to bed. She answered the best she could if it did not pertain questions about the Prince.

"So, like, do you and the Prince make out?" asked her friend Abby who leaned over the table that Anna occupied with her sketchbook and charcoal pencils. Anna laughed loudly. "You do don't you! Look at you! You are blushing!" Anna blushed hard and shook her head.

"No, in fact, that um...kiss on the balcony was the first time we have ever..." Anna hide her face behind her hands and felt so embarrassed. Abby looked shocked about the news then a sly smirk formed on her lips

"First time kissing him? Did you...like it?" Abby smirked and leaned closer to Anna, she made kissing sounds. Anna blushed harder and laughed, she pushed Abby's face away from hers.

"Stop it Abby!" she laughed, she pushed herself back to get away from Abby's kissing face. Abby climbed onto the table careful of the sketchbook.

"In a week you will be married" Abby grinned at her. "A married woman and the Prince has...needs" she winks at Anna. Anna blushed harder and moved her arms around herself. "You are going to do it" Abby giggled softly at her squirming friend.

"Shut up Abby! So embarrassing..." Anna's cheeks were bright red. Raj was snickering off to the corner and John was ignoring them all. He did not seem very happy and hasn't spoken to Anna since that day in the hallway when the Prince told her she could not have any more male friends but she didn't listen to him. She will continue to be friends with Raj and John and of course Michael whom she e-mails twice a week while he lives in America. Abby was sitting on the table in front of Anna with her arms wrapped around herself and made more kissing noises.

"Oh Prince, that feels nice. Mmm, kiss here..." Abby said and pretended to make out with no one. Anna whacked her friend in the arm then shoved her off the table. Abby laughed when she fell off the table. Abby had no idea the Prince was standing in the doorway to the Art classroom. He had an amused smirk on his pretty lips. Anna gasped loudly and stood up quickly. Abby glanced over her shoulder to see the Prince in the doorway and blushed hard, she stood up then looked down at her feet ashamed. Raj and John stood up as well.

"Very amusing. Your girl friend is right. I have needs" he smirked at Anna, Anna picked up her sketch book to hide her upper body with it. She was so embarrassed she wanted to die. If only lightning would strike her down. "Come, we must go. We have final preparations we must attend to. And put that book down, I want to see your face." he waved for Anna to come to him. Anna hesitantly tucked the sketchbook under her arm.

"Bye Abby! Bye you guys!" she waved to her friends. All three of them said "bye" and waved back. Abby gave Anna a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before letting her go. The Prince made a soft "hmph" sound at Abby then held his hand out towards Anna. Anna held back not sure what he wanted her to do. The Prince rolled his beautiful brown eyes and grabbed Anna's hand firmly. He tugged her along behind him to leave the school. In the limo he had let go of her hand and stared out of the window not talking to her. Anna sat across from him awkward.

She found that going to and from school from the castle took a grand total of 15 minutes each way. The castle was always busy it seemed. The servants seemed to be on the move all the time. Her room was cleaned every time she left it. It unnerved her, she missed clothes on the floor, dvd cases tossed about every which way and random dishes she forgot about. She woke up with maids holding out her nicely pressed school uniform, her hair and make-up was done. She did try to dress herself when she could, sometimes the maids let her and sometimes they fought her saying it was their job to dress her. Every meal in the castle she had to be dressed and presentable. She had met various government leaders and shook hands and made small talk.

Preparations for the wedding was going smoothly. The Queen had done most of the work. Anna's wedding gown was 50 pounds. It was hard for her to move and knows that she will need help going through doors. The dress was fitted for her body and hemmed. The Prince had wanted to see the gown but his mother scolded him for trying to break into the room one day during a fitting. Him being scolded by his mother made Anna laugh. It was odd to see the Prince be bossed about by someone a little smaller than himself and to obey.

Anna found out that the royal family never divorces, they must stay together always unless the woman was unable to produce an heir then she will be exiled and the king or prince can remarry. There must be an heir, a male heir. Anna thought that the law was harsh for a woman who could not have children and mentioned this to Queen Justine. Queen Justine agreed but that was the way it was. It was not the woman's fault but this was how the royal family worked and have worked for a couple of hundred years. Anna had been taken to a female doctor to make sure everything "worked fine" the first week she was at the castle. Her health report was given to Alex which embarrassed her. He had glanced over the report to read she was fine and can produce many heirs. He did not say anything but that annoying smirk had played across his lips. Anna never asked Alex how many children he wanted. She hoped only two, that was how many she wanted, just two.

The Queen also was in charge of "princess lessons". She had to learn how to walk with shoulders back and back straight. The Queen had tied a pole to her back because Anna had a hard time keeping her back straight. Anna was proud she was getting better, her posture has improved over the couple of weeks in the castle and did not require the pole. She had to learn how to sit and not cross her legs. She could cross her ankles but never cross her legs. She learned how to dance a couple of different dances such as the waltz and some swing dance moves. Anna has problems with moving her feet about and stepped on the instructors feet every dance lesson. The dance instructor looked like he wanted to quit every time he came to the castle. Anna also had to learn which fork, spoon and knife to use during meals. The Prince would scoff and laugh at her every time she picked up the wrong utensil. She wanted to throw a fork or knife at him each time. Anna learned some of the family tree. There were so many Alexanders and Alecs in the tree and heaps of cousins, aunts and uncles. She had a hard time keeping names straight and who had married who and how many children, it would give her headaches but she did the best she could.

Alex was busy himself. He was taking on more and more jobs since his father could not do any more. His mother helped as best she could but the ultimate decisions had to come from the Prince. The castle works as a patriarchal society. The royal women were to help the King if necessary but not allowed to sign anything into law. The royal women were to produce heirs and take care of the castle, servants, the food and any guests that arrive as well as go to special events in the country. The King and the Prime Minister would meet with the Elder advisors and people from parliament to decide what was best for the country. Alex had met with the Prime Minister three times in the past two weeks and had read over laws wanting to be passed and talked to his soon to be advisors. A week ago, Alex had to go cut the ribbon for the new children's hospital in the city. Alex had to look over imports and exports, costs and trading deals with other countries. Sometimes at dinner Alex would look stressed and snap at Anna and servants for making the slightest noise.

"We are here. Get out, go find my mother" Alex said to her and stepped out of the limo before her. He did not look back at her. Anna climbed out of the limo and went inside of the castle. A maid told her the Queen was in the library and took Anna there so she would not get lost. Queen Justine held a large leather bound book in her hands when Anna arrived in the library.

"Ah yes, Hello Orianna...I mean...Anna. I forgot, you prefer to be called Anna" the Queen said with a slight smile and snapped the large book closed, she placed the book back onto the shelf before gliding to Anna. Anna felt that the Queen glided, she didn't walk but seem to float gracefully. She took Anna's hands into her own and pulled her to a green leather couch and sat Anna down before sitting herself down beside her. "In a few days, you will become Princess Anna and everything, I do mean everything you do, wear and say will affect the royal family. Do not bring disgrace to the royal family." she said firmly to Anna. Anna gulped and nodded her head quickly.

"Yes ma'am" Anna said softly. The Queen tilted her head up with a slight curl to her lips, that must be where learned that smile from.

"Good girl. Today, you will continue your walking and posture" she touched Anna's shoulders to remind her to sit up straighter. Anna shifted on the couch and sat ramrod straight with shoulders back. "Also, this will be your final fitting for your wedding dress."

Anna stood up and the Queen placed a heavy book on top of her head and told Anna to walk around the room then sit down on the couch. Anna's book wobbled on her head and she held up her hands to keep it from falling as she walked. She grinned when she made it halfway around the room before the heavy book tumbled off her head. The Queen chuckled at her.

"Try again Anna. And this time, please keep your hands down. It would be rather odd if you got into the habit of holding your hands up as your walk to keep balance" she smirked again like Alex. Anna picked up the book once more and tried again. Fifteen minutes of the book on her head made her neck sore. She had finally made it to the green leather couch and sat down, the book slid off as soon as her bottom touched the couch.

"I did it!" cried Anna and looked proud, she moved the book onto her lap.

"Yes, you did but you have to keep practicing. Soon, you will have to keep that book on your head when you pour tea and sit at the table with guests." she touched Anna's cheek with a proud look on her face. A soft knock had sounded at the door and the dressmaker walked in with mounds of white fabric. A maid placed a two foot stool on the floor for Anna to stand on.

"The dress is so heavy. There any way we could...you know..make it not so heavy?" Anna shrugged her shoulders and stepped over to the mounds of white fabric, she touched the dress carefully.

"No, we can not make the dress lighter. The dress should be a fairy tale princess dress. Now take off your school uniform so we can do a final fitting." commanded the Queen. The dressmaker got her sewing kit out and straight pins ready. Anna hated to strip out of her clothes in front of people but she did so, she had a white push-up bra with lace cups and a pretty pair of pink panties, she stepped onto the stool and soon skirts were pulled on and the heavy dress was placed over her head. It seemed to weigh even more than the last time she remembered it. The dress was beautiful, the dressmaker had outdone herself with pearls sewn all over the dress, even on the bodice. The dressmaker pulled the bodice tight in the back and Anna could not breathe very well.

"I can't breathe. Loosen it a little?" Anna gasped and felt light headed.

"Loosen the bodice. I don't want her to pass out on the way to the cathedral." the Queen commanded again. The dressmaker nodded and loosened the bodice then pinned away. Anna stood on the stool for what seemed like an hour until the dressmaker and the Queen were happy with the results of the final fitting. The veil was placed on top of her head. She had not seen the veil yet, it was very long in the back and trailed down her back past her bottom, it was lace and had pearls on the veil.

"So beautiful!" sniffed the Queen. She looked teary eyed as she looked over Anna in the massive white dress. "I'm very pleased. I think Alex will be pleased as well when he sees you walking down the aisle in a few days." beamed the Queen. Anna blushed, happy that the veil covered her face. It took ten minutes to disassemble the dress and veil, careful to not tear the fabric or to lose pins. Anna was dismissed until dinner time.

She was so happy to be in her room. Alone at last without people to poke and prod her or shuffle her about. She pulled on her pj shorts and a large t-shirt, she put her hair up into a high messy bun then sat at her computer desk. She turned on the computer. Only a few more days until she was married. She had wondered if she should tell her friend Michael about it but she was sure he kept up with the news of his country. She had not mentioned anything in her e-mails and Michael had not mentioned anything as well when he wrote back. She opened up a picture file and went through the pictures, some of her family and some of her and Michael. She smiled upon one picture of Michael with ice cream on his nose and Anna was pointing and laughing at him. The picture was taken before he told her he was going to America to study for his final year of high school. She missed Michaels easy smile, and green eyes. She felt at ease when he was around.

"I'm coming in" shouted the Prince through the heavy wooden door to her bedroom. She spun around in her desk chair surprised. She had not heard him knock at the door and he has never come to her room before and he has never seen her in her pjs. She blushed hard.

"No wait..I'm in my..." she stood up to look for a robe but he already walked in the bedroom looking around it like he owned the room. "...nevermind..." she mumbled and stood in her pjs. She wished she had nicer ones now. She awkwardly moved her arms across her chest, she was glad she kept a bra on. "So, um...why are you in my room?" she asked.

"I came here because I have a right to be here. I wanted to see what...you liked in your bedroom and colours, how big your closet is..." he nodded his head at her. She was surprised to see that he wore a plain gray t-shirt and black cotton pj pants with white socks on his feet. She smirked at his clothes. It was so odd to see him dress like that. He always wore his pressed school uniform or tailored suits. He always had shoes on. She looked down at her own bare feet to make sure the nails were nicely done.

"Um...so, this is my room" Anna held her hands out to show her room. "Ta da..." Alex roamed around the room touching various objects like picture frames of her parents or small awards she had won as a child, a hand mirror her mother had given to her on her thirteenth birthday. He opened the closet door to inspect how big her walk in closet was, he shook his head as he touched some of her clothes. "I'm sorry, I still don't understand why you are in my room" she told him and walked to the closet, he tossed a couple pair of clothing out of the closet. "Hey, those are my clothes you are throwing out, they are clean!" she scowled at him.

Alex turned his brown eyes towards her as he holds a brown boho skirt in one hand, he had a smirk on his face "These clothes, many of them are not fit for a princess or soon to be queen. You will have to go clothes shopping. I am going through your clothes to find the suitable ones, the rest will be donated to a charity center if,and I do mean if, they will take them"

"No, you will not go through my clothes. I like my clothes!" she yelled and grabbed for her brown boho skirt. He held it up above his head so she could not reach it. He laughed at her egging her on to try and get it. "Grr, you are so insufferable!" she cried at him. He tossed the skirt around her and it fell in a heap on the floor.

"I will not have my wife wear these clothes. It will shame me and the royal family" he said firmly to her. She stomped her foot and bent down next to the clothes he tossed out gathering them up into her arms.

"You don't have a say in what I wear and not wear!" she yelled at him and threw a bright pink polo shirt at him that he had tossed out, it hit him on the chest. Alex laughed and bent down in front of her, he tapped her nose with his finger and had that annoying smirk curl up on his lips.

"My dear, I have a lot more say about what you do and don't do, what you wear and don't wear, where you go and where you don't go, who you see and who you don't see than you think. I'm your husband and you...are my wife and what I say goes." he tugged on a small piece of her dark blonde hair that was over her eyes before he stood back up to look at her clothes. he rummaged through her jeans now tossing ones out with holes in various places.

"I'm going to ask your mother about this because I don't believe you. Stop touching my clothes with your slimy hands!" she yelled and stood up and tossed the clothes in her arms onto the floor. She walked over to the door and yelled down the hallway for a maid to bring the Queen to her bedroom and scold her son. She waited for the Queen but the Queen did not show up. The maid hurried back down the hallway, she looked nervous and curtsied to Anna, she fidgeted with her hands.

"Um, Miss Anna, I told the Queen and she said not to bother her with such frivolous things and to let Prince Alex do as he pleases with your clothes and to remind you that..um..he will be your husband soon." the maid said softly then backed up from the look on Anna's face. She heard Alex laugh inside of the closet. She slammed the door in the maid's face then threw herself onto her bed. She was so upset. She couldn't have anything that was her own and she was tired of being pushed and bossed around. She made a loud gasping sound and the tears came. She buried her face into her arms and laid on her stomach on the bed. She sobbed hard into her arms. She wanted to go home and be normal again, to only worry about school and hanging out with friends. She felt a soft tap against the middle of her back then the bed move. She pulled away from the touch.

"Don't touch me" she whispered between her sobs. She couldn't breathe, her nose was stuffed up from crying and her eyes were red.

"Look, I'm...er...sorr...er...I do some of the things I have to do because I'm suppose to. I will stop messing with your clothes for now. I did not mean to...um...upset you" he said gently and tried to touch her back again. She pulled away from his touch and scooted herself further away from him on the bed. "Anna, I'm...I'm...why is this so hard..." he said more to himself than to her. "I'm ssss...sorry". Anna sniffed loudly, he had said sorry. She was pretty sure he had never said sorry in his life to anyone and why should he. "Look at me Anna" he said firmly.

"No, I am tired of being bossed around. I have feelings you know, which you seem to know nothing about" she said but it was muffled somewhat by her face buried in her arms. Her arm was grabbed firmly and she was pulled up into a sitting position, she hung her head down so her hair would cover her face, she sniffled loudly. She wrenched her arm away from Alex. "Don't touch me, you are mean and hateful to me." she said and turned so her back faced Alex. Alex pushed her to face him and tilted her head up so she has to look at him. She tried to jerk away but he held firm.

"I'm sorry Anna." he said softly and his fingers brushed some of her blonde hair from her face so he could see her. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. " Anna, I know it has been hard for you but, this is your life now and you must..please...you must get use to this."

"It doesn't help when you are cruel and say mean things to me. It makes me want to run away" she sniffed then turned her head away so she wouldn't have to look at him. Alex was surprised by what she said but her head was turned away.

"I see. I will...try harder to be...nicer to you. So, you like cream coloured things and red?" he asked, Anna looked at him confused, her eyebrows drawn together. "I'm asking because...because soon we will be in the same room and I want things to be...um..nice for you" his voice was firm but he seemed shy. Anna made a watery laugh and shook her head.

"No, your mother picked the colours. I like green and pink things, not too many flowers. I want...I want all the same things in this room in the new room, vanity, computer table, closet, the couch..."she bit on her bottom lip hoping he would agree.

"Pink and green? What an odd combination. The other things will be no problem. I will tell the interior designer to make a plan right away and I will approve of the plan." he said, he smiled gently, that smile she had seen the Queen give her a few times. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes bore into hers, she brushed her hair from her face nervously. He leaned toward her for a moment as if he wanted to kiss her then thought better of it. She wanted him to kiss her and didn't want him to kiss her when he leaned in. She was still mad at him about the clothes but he said sorry and even asked for her input for their soon-to-be bedroom. He patted her on the head and slid off her bed. He gave her a deep bow. "Goodnight Princess Anna" then closed the door behind him. Only a few more days left.


	5. Chapter 5:Wedding Bells and Chapel Doors

Chapter 5: Wedding Bells and Chapel Doors

The day of the wedding had quickly arrived. Anna was not prepared when she woke up that bright Sunday morning. She heard bells ringing throughout the city. It seemed people were already celebrating the wedding of their beloved Prince Alex. Guests had arrived to the castle a couple of days before and the castle was busier than ever. Some of the guests names she could never remember, they were long and tedious to say. Dukes, Duchesses, Princes, and Princesses from other countries arrived in grand clothes and jewels. Her parents arrived at the castle last night which the reunion was very happy. She was pleased her parents could come, she was afraid the royal family would not allow it for some reason. She talked with her parents late into the night about all the things she had learned.

She pulled the covers up over her head to block out the sun and closed her eyes. Sleep, that was all she wanted to do. However, the maids all filed in and her mother and the Queen. The blankets were pulled back and she was forced out of the bed and into her monster sized bathroom. She was pushed, poked, prodded, scrubbed down, hair pulled, waxed and everything else she could think of. She was allowed a piece of toast and some orange juice for breakfast in her room. Hours later, when everyone was happy with her scrubbed and waxed body, her hair washed and treated then she was pushed into a white strapless lace bra and white pair of panties then the skirts were pulled up and tied around her hips. The heavy dress was pulled over her head and done up in the back. She was happy she could breathe in the dress. Her mother and the Queen sniffed and wiped tears away as they got her dressed.

Hair stylist and make-up artists came in, lamps were brought in to bring in more light. She was pushed onto the leather couch in her bedroom, the only chair she could fit in while her hair and face was worked on. She held her breath as the hairspray swirled around her then coughed. The make-up artist scolded the hair stylist saying he could have messed up the Princess' make-up! It was art.

Two hours later she was hauled up off the couch, the dress was so heavy. A large standing mirror was brought in held up by two male servants for her to look into. The dress was so large and very long in the back. The train of the train was at least three feet long behind her. It was made of layers and layers of lace and pearls hand stitched in beautiful, intricate designs. Her hair was in a simple french twist with pearls dotting her blonde hair and then the veil, the lace veil flowed down her back. Her make-up, she was happy to say, made her look naturally beautiful, no bright colours on her face to make her look like a clown. Her mother cried and wrapped her arms around her daughter carefully.

"I'm so proud and happy for you Anna. You look so beautiful!" she sniffed and kissed her daughter's cheek. The male servants whisked the huge mirror away, their arms looked tired from holding it up. Her mother bit on her bottom lip for a moment "Now, tonight just relax and breathe alright. You will hurt a little bit...what? What are you giving me that face" she said then laughed softly. "Fine, I won't speak anymore about tonight."

The Queen cleared her throat from behind them. "We have to go Mrs. Reins. We have to be at the cathedral very soon. Anna dear, you will take the open carriage through the streets, wave to the people and smile. Everyone is cheering for you." beamed the Queen and gave her a small hug. "I'm proud of you" she whispered near her ear then hurried off with her mother. Anna sighed loudly, her nerves starting to kick in. Soon, very soon, she will be in the carriage to go to the cathedral to marry the prince of Forestier.

Her heart beat so quickly and thought about all the years she has known the prince. The royal family must have paid for her private schooling from the age of five to be near the prince. All of the classes, even if she was not very good at them, the prince was there. She realised that her life has been already planned out before she was born.

She jumped when the PR man from three weeks ago knocked and entered the room, he told her it was time. Her body felt heavy and she was scared to death. She walked to the door and maids helped to push her through the door with her heavy dress. The stairs were scary to get down, maids helped to hold the dress and butlers held her arms as best they could as she walked down the stairs. Outside of the castle gates, crowds and crowds of people had gathered. She could hear them cheering and yelling as she climbed into the Cinderella like carriage. It was white and round with large white wheels. The four horses were all white and had the royal family crests on their bridles. Two horsemen sat in the front wearing the royal family colours of green and black, with top hats on their heads. The butlers helped her into the carriage with her heavy dress and she managed to sit down, her dress took up most of the carriage seating. She waved to the maids and butlers. Some of the maids beamed and wiped tears. The butlers saluted her and smiled. The horsemen turned the carriage and they trotted from wear the castle garage was near the back to head for the front gates.

Policemen were everywhere and as the gates opened, the police were pushing people back to let Anna through. Hundreds of people were cheering and waving their country's flag. Some screamed "We love you Princess Anna" as the carriage rolled out of the castle gates. She was shocked and surprised at how many people were lined up all along the streets as she headed for the huge cathedral. As she rode, she waved and saw that the parks had huge screens mounted up and people gathered around the screens to see the wedding of their beloved prince. Policemen rode in front and behind her on black horses making sure the people would not run out in front of the carriage. Thousands of flashes went off as she rode by and news vans were everywhere. Finally, the cathedral was in view. Almost all of the royal family members have been married in St. Piux Cathedral and now it is her turn.

The cathedral loomed over her. The stones were gray and the cathedral had huge great stain, glass windows, stone prophets and apostles dotted the cathedral windows and around the great wooden doors. The wooden doors were carved with scenes from the life of Christ. The stone steps were draped with red carpet and large pink and red roses lined the walkway. The carriage stopped in front of the cathedral and her heart stopped for a moment. She knew once she walked through the doors, she will be married and her life will change once again.

She took a deep breath as a police officer helped her down from the carriage, he turned out to be the a knighted police officer who was in charge of law enforcement in the country. He helped her up the steps and the wooden doors creaked open.

She was pulled into a room quickly by the hairdresser and make-up artist, her hair and face was touched up and the back of her dress was spread out behind her and bouget of pink and red roses were handed to her with pearls spread throughout the flowers. She saw her father and gave him a big smile before the veil was pulled down over her face to hide her. News people were lined up against the backwall, the only place they were allowed to be. The cathedral was filled with people and there, her mother sat in the very front with the Queen and the King. The King was sitting, he could not stand and he looked very thin and pale, he had plastic tubes in his nose and an air tank to help him breathe. He wanted to see his only son get married.

The music began and everyone stood. Her train trailed behind her as her father lead the way to the front of the cathedral. Her heart beat so quickly and she could barely breathe. She smiled at her mother who was crying. She wanted to reach out and hug her. Finally, the music stopped after the long walk to the front and her father moved her arm to the crook of Prince Alex's arm. She looked up at Prince Alex who was beaming at her. He wore an all white tux with a green sash across his chest with the family crest and badges that showed his rankings. His hair was slicked back nicely and he had on a red tie and a red and pink rose in the pocket of his tux jacket.

The Archbishop of Lorraine began the ceremony. She was so nervous and so afraid she would say something wrong but she managed to get through everything without any problems. She hung onto Alex's arm tightly to stay up. The gold rings were given to each other. The Archbishop pronounced them both man and wife. Alex and Anna held a large white candle together and took their first steps with the candle to light the standing candelabra. Once the candles were all lit, the Archbishop told Alex to kiss the bride. Alex gingerly lifted the veil from her face. He smiled down at her then leaned in. He pressed his lips firmly against hers, his hand moved to the back of her head to hold it up as he kissed her. The cathedral erupted in cheers. She laughed from the loud cheering and Alex broke the kiss. He pulled on her arm gently as he lead her down the aisle towards the huge wooden doors of the cathedral.

The doors burst open and more cheers sounded, news people were everywhere and pictures were taken. Alex helped Anna into the Cinderella carriage and managed to squeeze himself into the open carriage as well with the dress overflowing. Both of them waved to their countrymen as the carriage started to move. The ride was longer, it was longer so that the people could see the prince and princess. Anna saw her face on the huge tv screens in the parks as they rode by. Anna's arms were tired from all the waving but she kept waving. She wanted to wave, the people were so happy and she wanted them to know she was too.

The carriage arrived at the castle and she was helped down and taken to an empty room. Maids were pulling her wedding gown off and slipping her into a more comfortable dress that went to her knees, it was white and cream colored and hung off her shoulders, her shoes were changed to open toed high heels and two garter belts was placed around her left and right thighs.

The reception started. It consisted of mostly her family and his and a few important guests. The cake was ten tiers high with red and pink roses all over it and edible pearls. The cake was chocolate and tasted divine. Wine flowed and people danced. Anna was delighted to see everyone so happy with the reception. The cake was handed out to the people. The garter belt from her right thigh was thrown and her bouquet was thrown as well.

Alex was ready to go. He wanted to take his new wife away to have her all to himself now and he announced it to everyone in that way which caused Anna to blush hard. Some people laughed and giggled. She was able to say goodbye to her parents then Alex ushered her out of the castle's great dining room to the limo. The crowds were still outside the gates cheering but not as loudly any more, the chapel bells still rung as well.

She has to hope that her clothes were in the trunk of the limo when the limo took off. She sat across from Alex waving to people from the limo.

"Where are we going?" she asked Alex, afraid to look at him.

"To our family's cottage out in the country. We have three days there for our honeymoon then I have to come back. I have many things I have to do." he said. He took her hand into his then spied something white and lacey that poked out from under the hem of her dress. She had not realised her dress was halfway up her thighs. He smiled slyly and reached his hand right under the hem of her dress and grabbed the garter. She yelled out and jumped.

"What was that for?" she tossed his hand away and fixed the hem of her skirt. He laughed very loudly and pointed to her thigh.

"I saw something lacey and thought it was mine. I guess I was wrong" he shrugged his shoulders then moved to the seat beside her. He touched the pearl earring dangling from her ear. His face was close to hers.

"How long is this ride to the cottage again?" she asked and shivered. She was even more nervous now that it will be just her and him for three solid days. She was not sure if could handle being alone with him for three days.

"I didn't say but since you asked. We are an hour away from the cottage. Relax" he said and brushed his nose against the side of her neck then his lips pressed against her warm skin.

Her heart beat faster. "Alex, hold off until we get to the cottage alright" she hoped he would pull away. He made a loud sigh and pulled away from her and leaned back in the seat watching the scenery go by.

"Fine, we will hold off until we get to the cottage." he mumbled. He closed his eyes with his arms folded across his chest. She smiled and relaxed as well. She soon fell asleep. The lull of the limo driving along and the huge day put her to sleep. She snored softly and her head fell back against the seat. Her mouth was open as she snored. Alex had dozed off as well for a bit until the limo slowed down and his pretty brown eyes popped open. He glanced over at Anna asleep.

The limo slowed down to a halt in front of a pretty two story cottage that had three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. The roof looked thatched and the walls made of various shades of stone. Some of the lights were on in the cottage as servants got the place ready for the prince and princess. The doors opened to the limo and Alex shook Anna awake. She snorted loudly and closed her mouth.

"We are here already?" she mumbled and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Alex helped her out of the limo then picked her up off her feet. Anna yelled in surprised and wrapped her arms around his neck afraid she would fall.

"You are heavy!" he grunted and laughed at her face. "I'm teasing. Relax and calm down" he carried her across the threshold of the cottage and up the stairs, the servants bowed as they walked by.

The master bedroom was about half the size of her room back at the castle but very cozy with warm colours throughout the room. He tossed her onto the oak queen sized bed with soft brown covers. She bounced on the bed then kicked off her high heels. The dress had come up to her mid-thighs once more. Alex climbed onto the bed on his hands and knees in front of her. One of his hands slid up her thigh towards the garter belt.

"See, I knew that lacy thing was mine" he smirked at her blushing face and slipped the garter off her thigh and down her leg. He tossed it across the room where it fell in the corner. His lips moved to the curve of her neck. Anna shivered and pushed him back gently.

"I'm really tired Alex. Can't we just go to sleep?" she asked him. Alex brushed aside her hand and shook his head.

"Not yet. I want to pleasure my wife for the first time if she will let me" he said. He looked into her blue eyes and waited for her response. Anna chewed on the bottom of her lip nervously. He let go of her gaze to kiss on her neck once more, his hand pushed her hair from off her shoulders. His hands then moved along her body to explore and it muddled her brain. She did not know what to think anymore. Clothes began to be removed and she laid back on the soft bed. She heard herself moan very softly when his lips found hers. The kiss was strong and passionate. It had urged her to explore his body, she was tried not to think about what she was doing and let her body take over. It seemed to be the right option. Alex seemed to enjoy himself. His teeth had grazed against her neck then he smirked down at her. Anna gasped very loudly and closed her eyes tight.

Anna woke up the next morning with an arm around her waist. She shifted on the bed and Alex mumbled behind her softly, his arm pulled her even closer to his body. She blushed hard, his naked body was pressed against hers. She can not believe she had sex with the prince of Forestier. Granted, they are husband and wife so it was alright for them to do that. Their first time seemed to flow smoothly. She had tried not to think about what she was doing and what he was doing too much. If she thought about it she would panic and he had to wait for her to calm down. She was grateful that he was gentle and did not rush her too much. He told her it was his first time as well which had helped her somewhat too knowing that he was not always sure of himself. The awkward moments did not last long and they had laughed them off to make each other feel better.

She wiggled herself free of him and moved his arm to wrap around a pillow. He pushed his head into the pillow in his arm with a soft sigh but continued to sleep. She tiptoed to the bathroom. She took a shower, her body felt sore. She had such a long day yesterday. She had a couple of bruises she did not notice from the heavy dress hanging around her hips. She did not hear the shower door open. Alex stood by the shower door in the buff. She jumped and threw her cloth at him when she noticed him.

"You scared me! I thought you were asleep" she said. "I'm taking a shower so go away." she told him and pointed toward the bathroom door. Alex only smirked at her then made a loud growl. He charged at her and his arms swept her up and pinned her to the shower wall. She gasped surprise at his actions. The space closed between them very quickly. "Alex, I'm taking a shower" she panted and wiggled against the front of his body.

"Yes, you are taking a shower and I would not wiggle too much if I were you, actually wiggle away. You aren't going anywhere." he smirked at her. He made another growl near her ear. She moved her arms around his neck with a laugh.


	6. Chapter 6: You Big Jerk

Chapter 6: You Big Jerk

It has been almost a week since the Prince and Orianna got married. The people were still raptured over the bride and her gorgeous dress. Pictures of the Prince and Princess are everywhere. Alex and Anna came home from their three day honeymoon out in the country. Anna enjoyed her time there in exploring the property, the house and even discovered that the house up the lane was the house her grandfather grew up in and had met the previous King. She loved being outside and picking wildflowers and going to the lake to read. Alex on the other hand did not seem so interested in the relaxing country life. He did try to relax but quickly got bored and messed with his wife to get her going so he could have fun.

Back at the castle, the first night home Alex showed Anna around their new bedroom. He looked very proud of the new bedroom for he and his wife. He took her hand and walked her around.

"And here is your vanity table you wanted. I had this flown in from France for you. Over here is a full length mirror so you can look at yourself in it to make sure you look presentable for the country" he said with a smile.

"I love the vanity Alex. It is lovely" she said and touched the teak vanity. It was beautiful and the craftsmanship was amazing with carved flowers curling up all four of the vanity table legs, the top of the vanity had inlaid wood of the family crest. The walls of the room were coloured a powdered blue with deep brown accents. The queen sized bed was made from Brazilian walnut and the covers were silk, pillows seemed to overflow the four posted bed. Her closet was huge with all of her clothes, or what was left of her clothes after Alex went through them and she had a few new pieces in there. One wall contained her shoes and purses, a tall jewelry armoire stood near the closet door. He showed her the bathroom which looked much like her own in the other room she slept in before she married and she looked pleased.

"Alex, you did a wonderful job in the room. Thank you" she smiled and touched the marble bathtub.  
Alex grabbed her from behind and lifted her up off her feet. He carried her over to the bed and tossed her on top of it. Anna laughed when she landed on the bed and moved to sit on her knees to watch Alex.

"Take your clothes off woman. It is our first night in this new bed and we are going to break it in" he commanded. He took off his white shirt and unbuttoned his pants. Anna wiggled out of her dress and small heels. Alex climbed onto the bed in front of her with that smirk he does and pushed her onto her back. Anna leaned up on her elbows to see what he was doing with a smirk herself. Alex roughly pulled off her panties and tossed them aside before pushing her long legs apart. Anna laid back on the bed with a loud moan as he enjoyed himself.

School, different now that Anna was married. The students looked at her differently when she and Alex returned to school. First day of school was awkward when they got out of the limo. The fangirls turned from Alex fangirls to Prince and Princess fangirls. There were a few die-hard Alex fangirls in the mix. The girls screamed and yelled when the limo had shown up at the school and they stepped out. The limo driver had to push the girls back so Alex and Anna could get inside the school. She also found that her desk had been moved from the back of the class to the front of the class right beside or in front of Alex's desk or they shared a long table such as in Science class. The girls whispered behind their hands about her and Alex and had overheard a couple of whispers throughout their first day "You think she is pregnant yet?" "She is so lucky to be married to Prince Alex." "You think they, you know, do it every day or something?".

Mitzy had shown back up at school when Anna returned. Misty had the flu then her family went on vacation to Italy. She was pleased to see her small friend as well as Abby, John and Raj. The four of them hung out in the hallways between classes to share stories and talk about school before each class. Her first day back was nice and same with her second day.  
The third day of being back at school had started out like any other day. Morning sex with Alex before getting ready for school. Shower, carefully dressed, hair done and make-up, breakfast then off to school. Anna met up with her four friends by the art classroom to talk before class. Classes flew by and lunch was fine too.

After school Anna was standing in the hallway with John and Abby.

"So Anna, when do we expect to hear the big news that you're knocked up hm?" asked Abby, she stuffed a pretzel into her mouth and smiled at Anna. Anna laughed and blushed. John shifted on his feet and gave Abby an amused look.

"I hope I don't get knocked up until after I graduate from high school Abby!" Anna shot back at her friend then poked her stomach."All I have is a food baby. I ate so much during lunch." which caused Abby to smirk and gave Anna a wink.

"Oh yeah, what did you eat? Was it...creamy and yummy?" Abby giggled. John blushed hard and shook his head.

"Come on Abby, leave the poor girl alone." he said to Abby and grabbed her shoulders. "I'll meet you at the car alright babe?" Abby nodded and stuffed another pretzel into her mouth. She turned to give Anna a hug.

"Bye Anna, I guess my comment about you know what embarrassed my boyfriend. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm dating John!" she waved at Anna and walked off down the hallway. She threw her hand up into the air "Toodles!" and turned the corner. John blushed more, almost the colour of his ginger hair then gave a nervous laugh.

"John! How come you didn't tell me you were dating someone!" Anna cried and punched him in the arm. John shrugged his shoulders with a funny grin.

"It just happened. And you were so busy with preparing for your wedding and stuff. I like Abby a lot." he kept grinning. He obviously really likes Abby and her crazy ways. Anna laughed then stepped close to John.

"I'm so happy for you John. You are dating a great girl. I want to hug you!" she wrapped her arms around him, her head on his chest for a brief moment. John patted her back then she was wrenched away from John. She stumbled backwards almost falling down and looked back to see who was holding the back of the collar of her school blazer. Alex growled angrily at Anna and pushed her behind him.

"So, I turn my back and find my wife hugging a commoner. How quaint." snarled Alex. John held up his hands and shook his head.

"I was just telling her I am dating our friend Abby. We had a hug, calm down" John said firmly and stood his ground. "Anna didn't do anything wrong." Anna stepped out from behind Alex with her hands on her hips and looked angry. Alex puffed out his chest and stepped closer to John.

"Don't ever touch my wife again, Ginger." he growled, his face inches from John's. John continued to hold his ground and did not back away from Alex. Anna pulled on Alex's arm and made him take a step back from John.

"Alex, you are being unreasonable. I gave my friend a hug. Big deal, let it go." she yelled. Alex wheeled around to face his wife, his cheeks flushed with anger and eyes flashing. Anna stepped back and let go of his arm.

"I am being unreasonable? You go and maul another man as soon as my back was turned. Some wife you are. I don't trust you" yelled Alex and raised his hand up like he was about to smack Anna. Anna flinched and John stepped in front of Anna looking extremely angry. "I wasn't going to hit her. Stop acting so noble, Ginger. We all know gingers don't have souls. You are just a shell" he snapped at John.

John gently pushed Anna away."Just go, alright Anna." he said gently to her. Anna nodded her head and Alex tried to reach around John to grab at Anna. John shoved Alex's grasping hands away from Anna.

"You are suppose to be a prince and here you are scaring women and being abusive. If people really knew how you acted they would be appalled at their beloved prince. I feel like I should go to the public and tell them what I just saw." John yelled at Alex. Alex scowled at him and clenched his jaw tight, his hands shaking from wanting to punch John's lights out. "If I ever see or hear of you raising your hand against my friend again, I WILL call you out" John growled, his face inches from Alex. He could see the flecks of gold in Alex's eyes and growled once more "Got it Alex?"

"Whatever, Ginger." Alex shoved John away from him. "Don't want your commoner germs on me." Alex spat on the floor by John's feet then turned and walked off down the hallway. He had not noticed that people gathered around in a semicircle around them to see what was going on. People parted as he walked.

In the limo on the ride home Anna did not look or speak to Alex. She had her arms folded across her chest and stared out the window with her jaw clenched tight.

"Anna, look at me. I'm talking to you princess. Hey, Anna" he said and was getting frustrated with his wife. She wasn't looking at him and continued to stare out the window. He reached over to grab her wrist. She wrenched herself from his grasp violently with an icy glare. He gasped and sat back in the seat deciding not to say anything else.

The limo stopped at the garage and she stormed out of the limo before the limo driver had the chance to open the door. Alex followed her inside of the castle, she growled the whole way up to their bedroom. Once in the bedroom, she kicked off her shoes then threw her heavy leather bag at him when he walked into the door. It hit him hard in the chest and he staggered back. He rubbed where he got hit with one hand.

"Hey! Don't you throw stuff at me! I didn't do anything wrong here! You were touching a man that wasn't your husband! You were in the wrong!" he shouted at her and pointed his finger at her. She screamed out in frustration and threw her hands up into the air. She was fighting back tears. She was so angry with him.

She pointed a finger at him and shouted loudly, her face turned red, "I didn't do anything wrong! I gave my friend a hug! You...you are such a big jerk! I hate you! Stupid bastard". Alex took a step towards her and she ran at him. Her fists hit at his chest hard, she tried to hit everywhere that she could with her fists. "I hate you Alex! You are so mean and hateful to me! You said you don't trust me! That's not how a marriage works you monster". He grabbed her flying fists and held them tight, he looked even more angry but she didn't care. "I want to have friends but you won't let me!". She wrenched herself from his grasp. She ran for the bathroom and slammed the door hard. The slam echoed throughout the room. Alex ran for the door and jiggled the knob but the door was locked. He banged on the door. Anna turned on the shower so she couldn't hear him banging or yelling.

"Anna, open this door right now!" he shouted at her then hit the door with his shoulder. The door didn't budge. He growled loudly then stormed out of the room. "Where is my mother?" he shouted at a butler who carried clean, fluffy towels in his arms. The butler looked alarmed at being shouted at.

"She is in her study, my Lord" the butler said and bowed. Alex knocked the towels from the butler's arms and stormed off. The butler picked up the now dirty towels and had to carry them all the way down to the laundry room. Alex hit walls and kicked at furniture. His mother's study door was closed. He kicked the door opened and stormed into the room. His mother sat back in her large white chair behind her huge black desk. She capped her pen.

"Yes? May I help you son?" she said calmly. Alex threw himself onto the plush couch in the study room. The Queen turned towards her son with a loud sigh and waited.

"I had a fight with Anna. She did something wrong and I told her and now she's locked herself into the bathroom. She won't come out" he said and tried to calm himself down. His mother pulled off her reading glasses and folded them up then placed them on the desk.

"And what was it that she did wrong? She breathe the wrong way or did she not have her shirt buttoned up the right way?" she asked, Alex lifted his head from the couch and glared at his mother.

"Don't be ridiculous Mother. I caught her hugging a man." he flatly said, his mother raised an eyebrow. "I mean, her friend told news about I don't know and then I caught her hugging him. I don't want her to have male friends and I don't want them hugging. I told her I don't trust her". His mother coughed hard then stood up behind the desk. She shook her head at her son. "And then she had the gall to say I was wrong and called me a jerk and another word I will not repeat to you, Mother" he sat up on the couch, he leaned forward with his hands on his hands. "She was wrong and I was right. You need a cough drop?" he asked, his mother took her head and cleared her throat. She stood in front of her son with a scowl on her face.

"Alex, you are a jerk. Anna is right. Let her have friends and don't make that face at me young man!" she said with an icy stare. Alex growled and his mother pressed on. "You need to let her have friends. She only gave that boy a hug, a friendly one. There is nothing wrong with that and you shouldn't have said you didn't trust her. That was a huge, huge mistake. You are an idiot!" she said. Alex's mouth dropped open, his mother called him an idiot. She was to tell him that he was in the right and that she would help get Anna out of the bathroom. Instead, she called him an idiot. "Yes, you are an idiot. You know better Alex. I am disappointed in how you have treated your wife. Maybe you are not ready to become king, maybe the throne should go to your cousin Shane. King Shane. Yes, that does have a nice ring to it does it not." she said firmly to her son. Alex gasped loudly and stood up quickly from the couch.

"Mother! I am not an idiot and she was wrong! How could you say that!" he cried. His mother shoved his shoulders to make him sit back down on the couch. He sat down hard on the couch with a grunt.

"Treat her better Alex. You will be together for a long time and you better say sorry to her. I will ask her in the morning if you have apologized to her. If you have not, I give her full permission to kick you in the groin. You deserve it." she said firmly to her son. Alex moved a hand to cover his groin area and shook his head.

"Fine then, I'll go...apologize to her. I will show you I am ready to become king."he said with his head lifted up in determination. "I am ready." he gave a nod.

"Fine then. Prove it to me. Also, you are married and you two need to figure out how to sort things out yourself. You need to learn how to listen to your wife." she gave him that smirk which irked him even though he, himself, does it too.

"Fine then, I will prove it to you Mother." he turned on his heels and walked out of the study room. Back in the bedroom he heard the shower still going and he banged on the door.

"Anna, open up this door. I demand it!", he pressed his ear against the door.

"No, I won't open this door, Now go away!" she shouted from inside the bathroom. Alex growled loudly and jiggled the door knob roughly. "Go away you jerk!"

"I'm not going away Anna!" he shouted then he rested his forehead against the door, his hand rested on the cool surface near his face. He spoke softly, "Anna, look, I am very sss...sorry for saying those things to you. You are right. I am a...jerk."he heard the shower shut off then a soft sliding sound . Anna leaned her back against the other side of the door and slid down it to sit on the floor. Alex knelt down in front of the door, both his hands on the door. "So, I am very sss...sorry and please open the door princess." he pleaded.

"I will open the door but do not expect me to allow you to sleep in the same bed with me tonight. You are in the doghouse" she snapped then stood up. She unlocked the door and swung it up. She found the Alex kneeling in front of the door. He got up from the plush carpeted floor.

"What do you mean I can't sleep in the same bed?" he asked with his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Exactly what I mean, you will not sleep in the bed with me tonight. I'm very angry with you." she pushed past him and picked up her leather bag. "I have homework. And don't follow me" she growled at him then stomped off. Alex slumped against the wall near the door.

"So much for apologizing. Now, I can't sleep in my bed" he grumbled.

Sure enough, after Anna had a nice relaxing shower and got into bed, Alex tried to climb into the bed next to her. He was shocked to be literally kicked out of the bed. She kicked him out with her feet and he landed on the floor hard with a thud.

"Hey! It's my bed too!" he shouted, his head barely visible from the top of the mattress.

"No, you won't be sleeping in the bed with me. I told you this earlier remember. Go sleep on the couch" she growled at him then laid back down on the comfortable bed. She pulled the covers to her shoulders and snuggled down. He got up from the floor and glared at his wife snuggled in the covers.

"And what about sex? I want to have sex." he said, one knee was on the bed and he got whacked hard with a huge pillow. He stumbled back and tossed the pillow to the floor.

"Go do it yourself, on the couch, away from me" she yelled and tossed another pillow at him. "I want to sleep, so go away" she mumbled. She heard Alex growl and walk away from the bed. She smirked to herself and nuzzled her head into her pillow. She whispered softly to herself "Jerk".

Alex got a blanket and pillow and plopped down onto the soft couch in the bedroom. He growled again. He rolled over on his side and pulled the covers to his shoulders. He couldn't believe he had to apologize many times over and got kicked out of his own bed. Alex fell asleep a while later still fuming over the fact that he could not sleep in his bed.


	7. Chapter 7: Trust Me

Chapter 7: Trust Me

For three days Alex was not able to sleep in the bed with his wife. He has been grumpy and snapping at servants. He complained that his back hurt from sleeping on the couch but this did not deter Anna. Alex decided to allow Anna to have a nice smartphone and that she can call and text her friends. This helped somewhat, Anna no longer scowled at him every time she saw him.  
Anna sat in the library with her legs draped over the arm of the leather couch. She was texting Abby and Mitzy. They had invited her to go to a coffee shop and listen to Raj's poetry. It seems every Thursday is poetry night at this small cafe near their school. Anna has never been inside that cafe. She has only walked by it and peered inside.

She text Mitzy "I need to go speak with Alex about it first. I will call later" and hit send. She climbed off the couch and asked a maid who was walking by where her husband was. The maid curtsied to Anna.

"He is in the King's office, Mrs. Anna." said the maid with a smile.

"Um, where is the King's office?" Anna asked and shrugged her shoulders. She should know where all these rooms are by now. She felt stupid for having to ask.

"It's in the South wing of the castle, Mrs. Anna. On the second floor. The King's library is next door to it. You can't miss the those big doors Mrs. Anna" the maid curtsied again.

"There is a King's library?" she asked and raised an eyebrow. "Seems these rooms keep popping up and I am not ever going to figure my around this castle!" she cried exasperated.

"Yes Mrs. Anna, The King's library contains all of the books from kings past. Many of them are leather bound and some of them go as far back as the early 1300's. If you please Mrs. Anna, I must get to the laundry room. Gretel will kill me for being late." the maid said and curtsied one last time before hurrying off.

"Sorry for keeping you!" Anna yelled after the maid then sighed. She began walking down the long corridors and asked a butler or maid every now and then where the King's study was located. She finally made it to the South wing. The South wing was older looking but still beautiful. Knights armour lined the walls and the floor was dark wood with red carpet runners down the hallways. Shields and various swords and battle axes hung on the walls. She saw huge dark wood doors with carvings of knights in battle and their country's flag.

"This must be the King's library." she said to herself and pushed on the heavy doors. They wouldn't budge. She wanted to see inside and look at all the pretty books she had heard about. She has never seen books from as far back as the 1300's and they were right behind those doors. She frowned then heard voices from the King's study. She stepped over and pressed her ear to the door. She could hear her husband Alex speaking.

"You have already sent a message the Prime Minister of South Korea?...Good, and we need to make a law as to how much imports and exports come in and out of both our countries. I do not want South Korean merchandise flooding our markets."  
She knocked on the door hard. The door swung open quickly. The Prime Minister of their country stood in the doorway. He looked down at the princess with an amused smile.

"Seems you have someone very important here who would like to speak with you, My Lord" said the older man. His gray hair was slicked back and he wore a black business suit. He had nice brown eyes. Anna flushed from what he said and peered around at Alex who was sitting behind a huge desk with papers piled on top. Alex glanced up from the papers, his pretty eyes locked with hers.

"Um, I just needed to ask a quick question. I'm sorry" she mumbled. The Prime Minister patted her on the shoulder then ushered her inside of the office. He bowed and stepped out of the office to give them some privacy.

"What do you want? I'm busy." Alex said and picked up some papers. He shuffled them straight before placing them in a leather folder with the family crest on the front.

"So, my friends are going to a cafe tonight. You know, Abby, Mitzy, Raj and John. I want to go." she said. She stepped closer to the desk and placed her hands on the desktop, careful to not touch the papers. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you still don't trust me" Anna said with a smirk. Alex scowled at her.

"Fine, go to that stupid cafe with your friends. But, you will allow me to sleep in the bed with you." he said firmly. He picked up his nice signing pen and fidgeted with it.

"Fine, you can sleep in the bed with me but I do not want anyone following me and I will be home by 9pm. I don't want to stay out too long." she nodded her head, she turned on her heels to walk out but her wrist was grabbed before she got too far.

"Wait, be safe and...and call me if you need anything." he said, his eyes bore into hers. He pulled her close to him. She had to move around the large desk to get to him. He stood up. Her heart beat quickly. His handsome face leaned down and she felt his soft lips press against hers. She caught her breath, her knees went weak from the gentle kiss. She had missed the closeness of his body and how it made her feel, it aroused her when he got close. He broke the kiss, she could see in his eyes that he wanted to keep touching.

"I'll be alright. I'll see you later then" her voice was husky and pulled her wrist reluctantly away from his gentle grasp. Alex took a deep breath before he sat down behind his desk again. He messed with the papers on his desk once more.

OOOOOOOOO

The cafe was busy, people sat at around small, round tables sipping various hot drinks. The cafe was cozy and happy feeling. Anna wished she had checked the cafe out years ago. She sat with Mitzy, Abby, John and Raj and listened to the poet on the small raised stage. The poet wore all black with dark eyeliner and dark lipstick. She had a nice voice. Abby noticed how Raj's leg bounced up and down from nerves. Anna reached over and patted his hand that rested on the table.

"I am excited to hear your poem Raj. Can you believe I've never been to this cafe before?" she whispered to him. Raj turned his dark head towards her and gave a strained smile. He looked somewhat pale under his dark skin. People snapped their fingers for the poet who bowed once then stepped down. Raj was next. Abby stood up and cheered loudly.

"You go Raj! You will rock this joint!" Abby shouted as Raj stepped towards the stage. People chuckled at Abby's outburst. John tugged on her arm to sit her back down with a smile. Mitzy leaned forward, her eyes never left Raj. She had a smile on her lips. Raj picked up the microphone and stared out into the crowd for moment. His eyes met Mitzy and he breathed a sigh of relief and looked more confident.

"My poem is called "I watch from afar"', he cleared his throat before he began his poem. It was a nice poem about watching various people, the old woman who picked up a crushed flower from the sidewalk or the little boy picking up sand which represented worlds and galaxies in his hands. Anna enjoyed her friend's poem but couldn't help but watch Mitzy. Her little friend had a smile still on her lips but her eyes seemed to sparkle. Anna leaned over to Abby.

"You think Mitzy is in love with Raj?" she whispered softly in Abby's ear. Abby leaned forward to look at their small blonde friend. A slow smirk formed on Abby's lips. Raj finished his poem, people snapped their fingers and he bowed. He sat down between Anna and Mitzy. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans to dry them. Mitzy turned to Raj and patted his hand.

"You were so awesome Raj. That poem was really deep. Where do you get your ideas from?" asked Mitzy and tilted her head to the side and made her curls bounce. Raj beamed at her.

"Just take in my surroundings and write that strikes me. You really liked my poem Mitzy?" he asked and leaned closer to the cute blonde.

"I did Raj. You have a way with words" she nodded her head and blushed from her comment. Raj blushed too then Abby let out a loud dramatic sigh.

"Good Lord, just ask her out already Raj. You are killing me here" cried Abby and gave Raj a stern look. Raj blushed and turned to Mitzy.

"Uh..er...um...wanna go out on date?" he said in a rush, Mitzy eagerly nodded her head.

"Of course. I thought you would never ask" laughed Mitzy and heard Abby mumble softly under her breath "Took him long enough." Anna smirked, she couldn't help herself. It was nice to be with friends and not in the stuffy old castle. Also, it was nice to be away from Alex for a while. Anna glanced at the time and found it was getting close for her to be heading home.

"Hey guys, I told Alex I would be home by nine so I should head out." she made a slight face. Abby got up and gave her a hug then John. Mitzy and Raj were in a deep conversation about life. "Bye you two" Anna chuckled, they barely heard her.  
Anna got into the town car and the driver took her back to the castle. She stepped into the castle right at 9pm and found Alex was pacing the floors in their bedroom. He looked up when he saw her come in. He breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to her.

"I was worried. It's 9:05 and I thought something happened to you!" he cried then looked her over from head to toe. "You alright?".

"Yes, I'm fine Alex. I got to the castle right at nine like I said." she laughed and dropped her purse in a chair. She picked up the remote and turned on the t.v. to see what was happening in the world outside of their small country below France and Germany.

"So, I'm sleeping in the bed tonight." Alex stated.

"Yup, you are." Anna replied as she kicked off her ballet flats then unzipped her skirt.

"So, can we...do the nasty then?" he watched her pull off her skirt. She had on a pair of black panties with lace around the hips and legs and small pink bows by her hips. He stepped over to her and placed his hand on her bottom and gave it a squeeze. She jumped and smacked his hand away gently.

"No, Alex. We aren't going to do the nasty. I'm still mad at you" she smirked and walked to the bathroom. She turned to face him. "I'm going to shower then work on my homework." she tossed her hair over her shoulder, he growled and kicked at the couch then plopped down onto it. He grumbled to himself.

"Come on woman. I have been nothing but nice and got you a pretty phone and you hung out with your friends. It's been almost four days" he whined to himself.

After Anna had her shower and finished up the rest of her homework she climbed into the large bed. She decided to wear a satin nightgown of dark purple and black lace. It showed off her curves very nicely and her very long legs. Alex rolled his eyes when he climbed into the bed, he had on blue boxers.

"You are really mean Anna. Dressing like that and then not allowing me to have sex with you" he whined to her. He rolled onto his back to keep from looking at his sexy wife next to him. He kept his hands to himself. Anna wiggled around in the bed trying to get comfortable.

"Goodnight Alex." she reached over and turned off her bedside lamp then snuggled into her covers.

"Night Anna." he sighed and reached over to turn off his bedside lamp too. He listened to his wife's breathing. He stared into the darkness thinking about his wife and glad she finally let him into the bed. His back was sore from sleeping on the couch for three whole nights. Anna's breathing became deep and he turned to his side. He scooted towards her, the front of his body pressed gently against the back of hers to spoon. He moved his arm around her waist and placed a small kiss on the back of her neck. She felt warm and soft against him. He smiled to himself before his eyes closed. He dreamt sweet things and Anna slept well too.


	8. Chapter 8: Oh, The Holidays

Chapter 8: Oh, the Holidays

Anna squealed to herself loudly then looked around the room to make sure she was alone. Michael, her best friend, said he will be home for the Christmas season. She jumped to her feet and danced around the bedroom.

"Mike will be home for Christmas! Oh, Christmas time come soon! I miss you Mike!" she sang out and hopped around. She laughed and sat back down in front of her laptop. She couldn't stop smiling. She wanted to see him so badly. She wanted to hear all about America and what he has been learning over there. She wanted to learn some English slangs so she could annoy Alex. Alex... She gasped loudly. She never mentioned to Michael she was married now. She figured he would find out on the news but he has never mentioned a word of it in his e-mails to her. Then again, she never mentioned it in her e-mails to him either. She looked down at her wedding rings with a frown. She needed to tell Michael. She scooted herself closer to her laptop and began typing.

"Hey Mike,  
Everything is going well over here with me. My folks are alright. Dad got a raise at the university so now he's head of the department. Mom joined a book club two weeks ago. School is crazy and I am so busy with studying. Hey, you remember John and Abby? They are freak'n dating now! I am so happy for them. Also, Raj and Mitzy seem to be hitting it off.  
I need to tell you something. So, here it goes. I'm married now. I know it sounds crazy and all but yeah. And you will never guess who I married. I married Prince Alexander. I'm a princess..."

Anna stared at what she wrote and it sounded crazy to her. She deleted half of what she wrote and kept the information about her parents and school. She frowned. She guessed that she will have to tell her best friend in person. She finished off her e-mail about missing him and various other tidbits before sending the e-mail. She shoved the laptop aside and left her e-mail up.  
Alex stepped into the room after a long day of talking with diplomats and having tea. He was sick of tea. He also visited his father in his sickroom. His father was getting worse and the doctors are giving him pain medicine to help him live out his final days. Anna walked over to Alex and gave him a hug, he smelled like mint.

"Hey, how was your father?" she asked concerned. Alex touched her cheek then brushed some her hair behind her ear.

"He is not well. The doctors are now just giving him pain medicine and hope that he will pass in peace. He has stopped eating as well which is very concerning." he frowned and pulled away from her. He unbuttoned his white shirt and tossed it over the back of the couch and slipped out of his pants.

"I'm sorry to hear that Alex. There anything I can do?" she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. He patted her back and shook his head.

"No, just pray that he passes in peace and won't be in pain," he said "I'm going to shower. I spilled tea on my pants...so embarrassing" he pulled out of her gentle grasp. He didn't want to but he did need a shower. The smell of mint tea was getting to him, his stomach churned at the thought of mint tea.

Anna laid down on the couch and waited for Alex to finish with his shower. She had fallen asleep by the time he was finished. He dried off and had boxers on. He peered over the back of the couch to see her sleeping. He moved around and picked her up in his strong arms carefully, he didn't want to wake her up, and carried her to the bed. He laid her down in the bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and brushed her cheek with his fingers.

A loud beep sounded from her laptop. He went to the laptop to peer at it. It was from someone named Michael. Alex was tempted to click on the e-mail to read it but that would not be right. He didn't know who Michael was. He thought he knew all of her silly friends but this one slipped through. He grit his teeth, his hand hovered over the touch pad ready to click the e-mail to read it. He then snapped the laptop shut and walked away. He climbed into the bed beside his wife and wondered who Michael was.

December rolled around and the weather got very cold in the city of Lorraine. The sky was cloudy. However, city was decorated in festive colours. Huge trees were placed in parks and town squares, many of them decorated with hundreds of lights and snowflakes. Large wreaths with huge red bows were hung on storefront doors. Stores had beautiful decorations displayed in their shop windows of Father Christmas, trees, and presents. Lights were strung all over the buildings. Every lamp post had a red bow at the top and lights wrapped around the post. Lorraine was a great site to see during the holidays. The castle was even decorated with lights strung about, huge red bows on every window, and wreaths on every door to the castle, a large Christmas tree stood in the middle of the courtyard standing fifty feet tall and brightly lit at night.

Anna loved Christmas time. It was a time to be with family and everyone seems happy. She can not wait to see her parents. It has been a few weeks since she had last seen them. She does call them every weekend to check up on them and to update them on how she was doing at the castle. She asked Alex if she could go home for a few days during their Christmas break. He agreed that she could go.

When Christmas break finally came around, she had her bags packed and ready to go. Also, Michael would be home and she had not seen him in months. She so wanted to be able to tell him everything that was going on in her life. She slipped her wedding bands off and put them into her jewelry box on her vanity before she left. The car ride to the edge of Lorraine was long. She wished the town car would go faster but the driver must obey driving laws.

Finally the car pulled up to her small two story house she lived in for most of her life. She saw the Christmas tree lights through the window and she grinned. The front door opened letting a warm glow of light hit the front yard. Her mother ran out of the house and opened the gate for her daughter. She wrapped her arms around her sweet daughter and hugged her tight. She kissed the top of her head.

"Anna! I am so happy you are finally home. We missed you so much darling." her mother said and pushed her towards the house. The driver unloaded her things and carried them into the house after her then left. Her father stood up from his armchair and hugged his daughter.

"Anna, so how long do you have to be with us huh?" he smiled. She missed seeing her parents smile. Anna hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"I have about a week then I have to go back. We have some huge Christmas dinner thing going on and I have to wear a dress that is too tight." she rolled her eyes then laughed.

"A week huh? Alright, well, we will take it love" her father said. He helped her take her bags up to her old bedroom and turned on the light for her. She stepped into her bedroom and looked around it. She had forgotten how small it was compared to the room she has now but it was cozy and held the things she loved. Her walls were filled with posters of movie stars and bands she loved. She blushed seeing a small poster of the Prince by her closet door, he was smiling back at her and had sexy eyes, his hair was kind of messy. She was not sure if she should take the picture down or keep it up. She finally decided to keep it up.

She had a pleasant dinner with her parents and ate all the things she loved to eat. Honey glazed ham with red potatoes with basil, beans and wheat bread with sweet butter. At the castle she ate well but sometimes it was dishes from other countries and did not know how to say the names of the dishes. The dessert was lovely, her mother made a citrus cake with orange and lemon layers and white, fluffy frosting. She was so full and she had to unbutton her jeans. She could never do that in the castle. She was thrilled to be home.

The bell at the gate rang and her parents looked perplexed. Anna had told Michael to come over the next day. She wanted to just spend time with her parents.

"Now, who in the world could that be?" her mother asked. Her father stood up and peered out of the window. A town car was outside of the gates and the gate bell sounded twice more.

"Is that who I think it is?" her father asked to himself then he pushed the button to open the gate. Anna peered over her father's shoulder to see who it was. She squinted and recognised the walk and build of the man walking towards her house. She gasped and quickly buttoned up her jeans and fixed her hair.

"Why is HE here?" she asked loudly then her father opened the door for Alex. Alex was wearing a gray sweater and pair of jeans and trainers. Her father bowed and her mother quickly ran to see who it was and gasped seeing Alex.

"Oh, um, we were not expecting you, My Lord" her mother stammered. Alex held up his hand to silence her parents.

"Just call me Alex and I decided to spend time with my wife's parents. I wanted to see where my wife lived." he spots Anna and gave her an impish smile. She scowled at him.

"Uh, yes, er...come in A...Alex" her mother said then wrapped her arms around him giving him a hug. For a moment Alex looked stunned, Anna smirked slightly at his reaction. Her mother let him go and patted his head. "I suppose I should go find an air mattress for you to sleep on. Where do you want to sleep, dear?" she asked him.

"Air mattress?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "I plan to sleep in Orianna's room of course. I'm her husband and she is my wife" he stated firmly.

"Oh, of course, you can sleep in Orianna's room." her father chimed in and gave Alex a handshake to greet Alex. "It is only logical you want to sleep in the same room as your wife." he said then mumbled to himself "Maybe not in the same bed though, so gross". His wife whacked him gently in the chest, she apparently heard her husband.

"Well, Gerald will go find the air mattress for you and set it up in Orianna's bed. You must be hungry. Eat some cake" Mrs. Reins said and lead Alex to the dining room table. She sat him down at the head of the table and cut him a large slice of cake. Alex stares at the cake unsure of it. Anna sits down beside him and shoves the cake closer to him with a grin.

"Eat it Alex. You know you will love it. My mother worked hard on that cake. You don't want to..."she glances around the room and whispers near his ear "offend her now do you?". Alex glared at her then picked up the fork and ate a very small piece of the cake. He shrugged his shoulders and took a bigger bite. He was not about to admit out loud that the cake was tasty and give Anna that satisfaction.

Her father carried the air mattress up the stairs and spread it out on the floor of Anna's bedroom. Anna came into the room to help him out. She got sheets and a pillow as her father blew up the mattress for Alex to sleep on. Once it was blown up, she put sheets and blankets on it.

"There, hopefully it will be comfortable enough for him." he said and pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Yeah, I think it will be fine, Dad." Anna fluffed up a pillow and placed it on the bed. Her father nodded his head before he stepped out.

"I think he has luggage so I'll go bring it up for him" he said as he went down the stairs. She sighed loudly and plopped down onto her bed. She hopes he likes the bed, she had a feeling he won't.

"Is the room over...ouch..."she heard Alex in the hallway. She sat up on her bed and saw Alex's head peer into her bedroom. He was rubbing his elbow.

"Your hallway is so small. This your room?" Alex asked when he walked into Anna's room. Anna slid off her bed and nodded.

"Yeah, I mean,yes, it is my room" she beamed at him as he walked around her room touching pictures, medals, trinkets and small decorations. He looked over her book selection on her bookshelf. He picked up her copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and thumbed through it.

"By the way, I am not sleeping on that...I don't know what that is on the floor, but I'm not placing my royal body on it." he nodded his head toward the air mattress made up nicely for him.

"Well, my Dad blew the mattress up for you so you can sleep on it. I guess you are going to be sleeping on it Alex." she said. She plucked the book from his hands and placed it back onto the shelf.

"Hey, got his luggage. Going to place it just inside here." Mr. Reins said from the doorway and put Alex's medium sized suitcase to the side of the bedroom door before he walked off. Alex shook his head and pointed to the air mattress.

"I refuse to sleep on that death trap. You can sleep on it and I will sleep in your bed." he said firmly. Anna rolled her eyes at him and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Look Alex, it's not that bad. You should try it. Besides, it's my room and my house and I want to sleep in MY bed. So, get over yourself" she said loudly. Alex scowled at her and kicked the air mattress aside which messed up her handiwork in bed making. "Hey! Why did you kick it?" she yelled.

"I am not sleeping on it. We will just sleep in your bed then." he sat down on her bed. It is a bit too small for two people to sleep in it. It maybe could fit one and half but that would be difficult to half a person.

"My bed is too small for both of us to sleep on it Alex." she waved her hand over her bed to show him it is indeed too small for both of them. Alex laughed and patted her cheek.

"Then sleep on top of me. I am not sleeping on...is that a poster of me?" Alex asked, happened to see the small poster of himself on the wall. He got up from the bed to go look at the poster. "Did you have a little crush on me Anna?" he turned to her with a big, annoying grin. Anna flushed hard.

"Shut up, I was young and stupid." she then covered her face with her hands to hide her red, embarrassed face. She heard Alex laugh heartily, his own face turned slightly red from laughing. "Stop laughing at me, Alex" she mumbled into her hands.

"Anna, it's very cute you have a poster of me. I had no idea you had a crush on me. Who knew right. I mean, you never said anything to me after years of being in the same class together. Sometimes you looked like you hated me. Seeing this poster, though it is small, made me realise you had a thing for me." he stared at the poster and checked himself out.

"Ugh, Alex, fine. I had a small crush on you. I never said anything because well, you are a prince and I'm me. So, let's drop it. I knew I should have taken it down earlier." she dropped her hands from her face and slid off her bed to walk to the poster. She grabbed the two top corners to yank the poster down but Alex shook his head.

"No, keep it up. I think it is a good picture of me. I look so rugged. I bet it makes you go weak at the knees when you see it" he gave her a wink and impish grin. She stuck her tongue out at him but let go of the corners. He leaned in and placed a small kiss on her cheek then pinched her cheek. "You are silly, Anna."

After more arguing, Anna settled herself down into the air mattress. She hadn't told him about meeting Michael the next day. She wasn't even sure how to explain it to him. She heard Alex mess with the covers.

"Argh, the springs are hurting me." he cried in frustration. Anna rolled over onto her stomach on the air mattress with a soft laugh. "You laughing at me woman?"

"Yes, I'm laughing at you. You wanted that bed so sleep in it" she smirked but it was dark in the room so he could not see her. She heard him get out of the bed then felt his body slide up the length of hers. She caught her breath and her heart beat fast. "What are you doing Alex?" she asked with a shaky breath.

"Going to sleep here. Seems this...er...what was it? Air mattress thing is not so bad." he whispered near her ear. Anna rolled onto her side, her body pressed against his. She felt his hand slide around to her bottom and squeezed it firmly. She squeaked. "Did you just squeak?" he asked with a soft chuckle.

"Yes, sorry." she whispered, she could see his darker form in front of her, the shape of his head, his shoulders and arms. "You surprised was all." She saw his form nod his head. Alex pulled the covers over his head with laugh. She felt her tank top get pulled up over her breasts. "Alex! We are in my parent's house!" she whispered fiercely. His tongue moved over her soft mounds. She gasped softly and moved her hand to the back of his head. Her fingers tangled into his hair. She heard a moan come from him from under the blanket.

Anna heard a soft knock at the door and her bedroom door opened widely, her mother peered into the dark room. Anna stayed perfectly still and felt Alex's ragged breathing against her breasts under the covers. He was not moving either.

"I guess they are asleep" her mother shrugged her shoulders, she had wanted to ask what time Anna was going to meet her friend. The door closed with a soft click and Alex pulled the covers down with a soft laugh. Anna blushed hard and felt like her face would glow with how embarrassed she was. Her mother almost caught them doing something naughty.

"I can't believe we were almost caught" she whispered to Alex. Alex's head loomed above hers. "It was oddly arousing I suppose." she admitted.

"It was a bit arousing. Get off the bed, we might pop it if we stay on it." he whispered firmly to her. Anna happily obliged and got off the air mattress. Alex pounced on top once she was off it.

OOOOOOOO

"You sure you have had enough to eat, Alex dear?" her mother asked. Alex waved his free hand to signal that he did not want anymore food. Mrs. Reins placed two more pieces of bacon onto his plate and another slice of toast. Anna smirked over her toast at him. His face was too funny. He had food in his mouth and tried to protest when more food was placed on his plate.

"I'm stuffed, mom. Thanks for the wonderful breakfast" she grinned at her mother. Mrs. Reines kissed the top of Anna's head and ruffled her hair. Mr. Reins placed his newspaper down and bit into his toast with marmalade.

"Hey, when are you going to see your friend Anna? Aren't you going to go see him today?" her father asked. He spread more marmalade onto his toast. Anna dropped her toast onto her plate with her mouth gaped open. Alex stared at her from across the table.

"What friend are you seeing, Anna?" Alex asked. Mr. Reins stopped spreading the marmalade and was wide eyed.

"You didn't...er..." Mr. Reins saw the look his wife gave him and she pointed towards the kitchen. "I...I forgot I left my coffee mug in the other room." he quickly dropped his toast and bolted from his chair. Mrs. Reins quickly left the room as well.

"I kept meaning to tell you but..."Anna took a deep breath and stared right into his angry brown eyes. She had to tell him. "My friend Michael came back for the Christmas holidays and I was going to hang out with him today." she bit her bottom lip. She could see the red creep up his neck and to his cheeks.

"Alright, so why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Alex said as he fought to keep his voice and anger under control.

"I'm very sorry Alex." she whispered and looked down at her plate. She felt badly about not telling him for so long.

"So, you planned on meeting him and not telling me about it at all? Like a secret?" his voice got louder.

"No, just it was never a good time to tell you. You should come with me to meet him." she said quickly and hoped he would say no. She wanted to tell Michael that she was married but not with Alex around. "Let me speak with him first though before you meet him."

"Fine, I'll meet this bastard." he grumbled. "And don't forget I'm angry you didn't tell me about this sooner. I'm your husband and don't you forget it." he pointed a finger at her. He stood up quickly. He pushed the table then walked out of the room. Anna felt he took it better than she expected. She expected him to knock the whole table over and grab her face or shake her or something. She hoped that when they met they will get along but Alex has a superiority complex. She knows he will try to best Michael and remind Michael many times over that Anna was married and she married a prince, not a lowly commoner.


	9. Chapter 9: Michael

Chapter 9: Michael

"Just stay here Alex. I would like to talk with him first please?" Anna pleads with her husband. Alex grit his teeth and folded his arms across his chest. " Give me like...like five minutes to speak to him then you can come outside." she said with hopeful eyes. Alex finally nodded his head once and stomped up the stairs and she winced when her door slammed shut.

Anna glanced in the hall mirror making sure her hair was nice and makeup too. She use to not care so much about how she looked but now it was important and it was for the family. The doorbell rang again and her heart jumped a beat.

"Answer the door Anna! I'm busy!" yelled her mother from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah,I know, I'm getting it right now!" Anna yelled right back and quickly opened the door. Michael stood on the front doorstep. He knew the code to get through the front gates. He smiled brightly when Anna opened the door. She had missed him. His hair was dark and came down a little past his ears and had slight curls and waves. His eyes were big and brown. His nose straight and lips that were a little thin but pleasant looking. He was taller than she remembered. To her, he looked like an angel. He had always looked like an angel, so sweet and beautiful to look at.

"ANNA!" he cried and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her up into the air and swung her around. Anna laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Michael, I am SO happy you are here! What time did you get home last night?" she grinned and her eyes twinkled. Michael put her down and ruffled her hair with another laugh.

"I got home about 7pm. I dropped down on my bed and passed out. Time zones are shitty." he grinned. Anna took his larger hand in hers and pulled him out of the house. In the front yard she let go of his hand. "Ok, so, we are going to hang out outside? It's a bit cold out Anna. It is December." he said and shivered in his coat and pulled his scarf up closer to his neck.

"OH, Michael. I have so much I have to tell you." she sighed loudly and glanced towards the house. She spotted Alex standing in her bedroom window and glared down at them both. She sticks her tongue out at him. She couldn't help it. Sometimes Alex got under her skin. He vanished from the window. Michael glanced up at the house too with an eyebrow raised then looked back at her.

"Alright, tell me. I'm waiting" he said. His fingers brushed against her cheek to push some of her hair behind her ear. He smiled his easy smile.

"I'm married." she blurted out and blushed hard. Michael laughed, his eyes twinkling again.

"I know. It was all over the news in the US. I have to say, Americans love to know about what royals are all about. You have no idea how many questions I had to answer in school. People were shocked to know that I knew both you and Alex." he ruffled her hair again then pulled her into a warm embrace, he rested her head against his shoulder. His long, graceful fingers pushed into her hair by the back of her neck. She sighed loudly. He smelled like soup and cinnamon. She felt warm and safe in his arms. Sometimes when Alex held her she didn't feel very safe or loved. Sometimes he held her because he only wanted one thing, to have sex with her.

"I tried really hard to tell you but every e-mail always sounded so weird. Then I figured I should just tell you in person." she said and pushed her face against his shoulder. She breathed in his scent.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know how to tell you that I knew either so I just kept writing like everything was as it always was" he shrugged his shoulders once. He leaned his head down and kissed her temple. "Thank you for telling me though." he whispered near her ear. She felt a tug in her heart. He let go of her suddenly. She felt the coldness of the outside and she stepped back from him. "Hello, you are one lucky bastard. You have a great girl here." he grinned and lightly hit Anna's arm. Anna turned to see Alex, he stood a few feet from them, teeth on edge.

"Yes, quite so. And she is a great girl. Very lucky indeed. You must be Michael." he stepped closer and held out his hand. Michael gripped Alex's hand firmly. The two looked like they were battling each other. Michael's face was no longer sweet looking, his jaw was set and eyes bore into Alex's. They finally broke the handshake. Alex was quick to grab Anna's hand and pull her closer to him.

"It's a pleasure, My Prince. I hope that I can take Anna out for a couple of hours so we can catch up on our friendship. A friendship we had since she was in kindergarten." he said, his voice sounded cold.

"Oh yes, Alex, I would like to go with Michael for the day. We are going to go see a movie then hang out at our favourite bookstore." Anna said and let go of Alex's hand. "I'll see you later tonight" she turned and kissed Alex gently on the cheek. Alex gripped her wrist hard and she gasped out.

"No, you are not going with him alone. It's not good for the princess to be seen alone with another man. I will go with you." he growled at Michael. Michael was stone faced.

"Whatever Alex. Go get your coat then." Anna said and pulled her wrist from his grasp. Alex walked back into the house to get his coat. "So, lovely introduction huh. See what I have to live with" she chuckles softly.

Michael went back to his easy smile and twinkling beautiful eyes. "Yup, he's lovely. You will have to tell me later about how you ended up marrying that twat. You know he doesn't deserve you." he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close with a chuckle. She laughed too. She couldn't help it. He made her feel at ease whenever he was around. Alex slammed the door behind him with his coat on and pulled his hat over his dark hair. Michael did not make a move to remove his arm from around Anna which irked Alex.

"We can go in my car. It's just outside the gate." Michael said. He and Anna walked off together out of the gate. Michael let her go and opened the passenger side of the car. She got in. Alex sat right behind her in the back seat. He looked very surly but Anna wasn't going to let him ruin her day. Michael was home.

They went to see an old black and white horror movie that was showing in the nearby theater. She loved to watch the old horror movies and laugh at how bad the acting was and bad monster costumes.

"That was amazing! Did you see the way dead person looked. All smiling and plastic looking." she laughed as her and Michael walked out of the theater side by side. Alex trailed along behind them. He was not sure how much longer he could take this.

"I know! And that caterpillar looking sea monster. It was so bad" Michael roared with laughter and he slapped Anna lightly on the back he laughed. They got back into the car and Michael reached over to take her hand in his larger one. He squeezed her hand gently. Alex reached around to pull Anna's hand away.

"Hey, I would like to remind you that you are holding MY wife's hand. I do not appreciate you touching her like that." Alex growled at Michael. Michael turned in his seat to look back at Alex with a smirk.

"I am fully aware she is YOUR wife. She, however, is my best friend." Michael growled back.

"Hey, stop it. This is stupid. Alex, calm down. He's held my hand since I was like five so cool it. And Michael, drive us to the next place now." she grumbled. Alex kicked her seat in frustration. "Hey! Don't kick my seat Alex" she yelled and turned around to glare at him. He smirked at her and leaned forward quickly. He kissed her lips. She pulled back and whacked him as best she could in the shoulder. Alex laughed behind her. She turned back around. Michael raised an eyebrow at her.

"So, onto our favourite bookstore. Mad About Books" Michael said, his tone was light but forced. They drove mostly in silence.  
She missed the bookstore. It was an older store but large and two floors. She stepped into the store and took in the scent of the books. It smelled like paper, leather and ink. She grinned at Michael who grinned right back. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the spiral staircase to get to the top floor. Alex protested about their hands but Michael ignored him. He dragged Anna all the way over to the children's section. He let go of her hand and knelt on the floor in the far corner of the children's section and put his hand under the tall shelf. She knelt down beside him.

"Is it still there Michael?" she asked trying to see. Michael made a slight noise in the back of his throat.

"Is what still there? Why the hell are you digging under the shelf, commoner?" Alex asked. He looked confused. Michael made a loud "AH HA!" which made Anna and Alex jump. "What is it?" asked Alex again trying to see. Anna and Michael sit down side by side. Michael unfolded the paper and held it open. It was a child's drawing. It had a picture of two kids, one a boy and one a girl holding hands and the bookstore off to the side. It said "Best Friends" and had Anna's name and Michael's too.

"I am so happy it's still here Michael." she laughed and picked up the paper from his grasp. The corners were yellowing. She smiled up at Alex. "This store was my and Michael's favourite place to hang out at. We would read each other stories for hours and curl up in the corner together."

"Oh, how...nauseating actually." Alex frowned at both of them.

"Ok, sorry for wanting to share something of my childhood with my husband. I guess I won't do that again." she kicked at his leg lightly with a scowl. Alex moved back to avoid the kick. "Just go away if you are going to act like a stupid child."

"Fine, whatever." Alex said and stalked off out of the children's section. Anna turned to Michael with a scowl. Michael pushed his finger between her furrowed eyebrows. Her eyebrows unfurrowed, she scooted closer to him.

"Read my favourite book to me Michael." she demanded softly. Michael laughed and pulled away to search the shelves for her book to see if it was still there.

"Yes, my princess. I will read you your favourite book and we will forget about the mean old prince." he pulled out the book and placed himself beside Anna. He wrapped an arm around her and placed her head on his shoulder.

She reached over and opened the book so he could read to her about the lonely princess who became friends with a white rabbit in her backyard. They went on wild adventures, her and the rabbit, they were pirates or on safari. The rabbit could talk of course and told her stories about life as a rabbit. Some he made up and some were true stories. She wished hard one night on a bright star that the rabbit would become human. The rabbit got bit by a dog one day and crawled back into the Princess' back yard. The Princess cried and held the hurt rabbit in her arms. Her tears wet the rabbit's fur. The rabbit became a human boy. She had gotten her wish. Her and the boy were wonderful friends and went on many more adventures together, their greatest adventure was raising their children together.

Anna sniffled. She loved that story. She felt it was a very sweet one. The boy and the girl married and could be together. And that wishes can come true. Michael closed the book and looked at her, his eyes sorrowful.

"Anna, you are the princess and I am the rabbit." Michael said with a slight frown. "but we can not have the happy ending like in the book." he touched her cheek with his fingers and whispered, "Anna, I'm in love with you but you are taken." he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Anna looked into his beautiful brown eyes and he looked back into her own eyes. She cupped his cheek gently.

"Michael, I'm very sorry." she whispered to him. Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked. She felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks. "I wish things could be different." Michael brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and tilted her head back, his hands held her head gently. His lips pressed against hers gently. The kiss was different from Alex's. Michael's was sweet and honest. He broke the kiss with a slight smile on his pretty lips. A couple more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Now that I have told you how I feel, we can push past this. I want to continue being your friend." he nodded his head firmly. His angelic face, she wanted to touch it and kiss him more but knew she should not. She pushed her hands to her side to keep from touching him.

"Yeah, we can push past this. I want you to stay in my life." she forced a smile. She got up from the floor and took the book from his lap. She placed it on the shelf, right in front so someone could see it and buy the book. The book had to go. Michael was the rabbit and she was the princess. She smiled at him. "Let's go find Alex. I'm sure he's sulking somewhere."

They found Alex sitting on the floor with a pile of books around him. Some books were about government, some fiction, sci-fi and mystery. Alex was engrossed in a large volume that looked like it had about a thousand pages to it. He did not even notice that they showed up. Anna knelt down beside Alex and kissed his cheek with a smile. She gently pushed the book down with her hand.

"Alex darling, it's time to go. It's getting late and mom wants us home for dinner." she kissed his warm cheek again. Alex looked at her confused then to Michael who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine, but I am going to buy this book first so I can finish it later. The Commoner going to be there for dinner too?" Alex scowled at Michael.

"Yeah, I mean, yes, mom made a special one for Michael." she helped Alex get to his feet. Alex walked off. "Hey! You have to put the books back Alex." she said loudly after him. Alex just waved her off and went to the front to pay for his book. Anna and Michael were stuck putting the books back as best they could. Alex waited for them outside.

"What took you so long?" Alex asked when Anna and Michael finally showed up.

"Well, we had to put your books back. You left a pile of them on the floor." said Michael then unlocked his car.

Michael and Anna talked about their school days when they were younger on the way back to her house. Alex tried to block out what they were saying but they kept laughing and were so loud. It kind of annoyed him that her and her stupid best friend have such a long history together. He and Anna have only been together since the middle of August and it was now almost Christmas. Her and Michael have many things in common, they love stupid horror movies, they love books, they like to sing lame songs, they grew up together. It really irked Alex.

Though he would not admit it right now but he does care a lot for Anna and wished that he had gotten to know her more. She had been in every single one of his classes for as long as he could remember. He had no idea why such a commoner like herself would be in a high end private school that cost thousands per year to attend. It never occured to him that the royal family paid for her to go because she would be his wife one day. He was mean and rude to her. He pushed her down and took things from her when they were in primary school. After that he mostly ignored her, every now and then he would say something snarky to her during lunch hour. Michael was always there when Alex pushed her down or said mean things to her. He was always there during lunch hour to keep her company. Michael obviously comes from a wealthy family to afford to go to the private school. Alex wondered what it was that Michael's parents do for a living. Maybe it was old money, he will have to find out.

Dinner was awkward for Alex. Anna's parent's treated Michael like a son. Mr. Reins raved over Michael and Mrs. Reins fussed over him more than she did for Alex. Dinner was everything that Michael liked to eat. Fresh green salad, freshly baked wheat bread, a large roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and for dessert a rich dark chocolate cake. The Reins and Michael laughed over things that happened in the past and inside jokes he was not a part off. The only comfort he had during dinner was that Anna sat next to him and held his hand on her thigh.

The table was cleared of all the dishes and food and a card game was placed on the table.

"You want to play with us Alex?" Anna asked.

"Sure, what are we playing?" Alex asked and let go of her hand finally and wished he hadn't. He liked her small warm hand in his. It comforted him.

"A game called Phase 10. It's a cool game. Mom always wins though" she laughed. Michael picked up the cards and shuffled them up then passed out the cards. Mr. Reins explained the rules to Alex and they did a practice round together. Alex got it quickly enough. The game was fun, everyone laughed and seemed to enjoy each others company for the most part. The game was almost a tie between Mrs. Reins and Alex. Mrs. Reins won by two points. After the game, Anna got up to help her mother with the dishes and Mr. Rein chatted with Michael and Alex for a bit before he headed off to shower. He had to work the next day.

"You staying over Michael? We could put you in the guest bedroom, love" asked Mrs. Rein.

Michael looked up at Alex for a moment before he got up from the table and headed for the kitchen. "Yeah, sure. Why not." he said and shrugged. Mrs. Reins laughed and gently patted his cheek.

"Alright love, I'll go get your room ready for you." Mrs. Reins said and walked out of the kitchen. Anna beamed at Michael.

"What?" Michael asked and laughed. Anna shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

"I don't know." she then laughed.

"You are silly Anna." Michael said with a grin.

"Yeah, I know. You always tell me I'm silly." she smirked at him then gave him a quick hug. "I'll be in my room." she said and walked passed him. Michael watched her, her curvy figure and pretty hair swaying. He will have to be very careful, he wanted her to be his, he had said he wanted to keep being friends but he was truthfully very selfish. He wanted Anna.

"Why are you staying the night Michael?" asked Alex from behind him. Michael turned around.

"Because, I miss my best friend. I've been away." Michael said flatly.

Alex raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his lips. "You are in love with my wife aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I told her so too. Seems she feels the same way" Michael smirked and smirked more with the look on Alex's face.

"Then, it seems, we have a bit of a problem here commoner. I think it best if you left." Alex took a step closer to Michael.

Michael shook his head. "Um, no. I'm staying here and I will always be by her side. I want to. Guess you will have to get use to it Princey Boy." he then turned and walked off. Alex growled.

Anna heard a faint knock on her door and she opened the door. Michael stepped into the room. He took a quick survey of the room. The air mattress was up against one wall and blankets in the corner.

"I hope you make Alex sleep on that thing." he laughs. Anna blushed hard and thought about last night. Alex climbed onto the air mattress with her and they were almost caught when her mother opened the door. Michael raised an eyebrow. "so, he did sleep on the air mattress last night huh?" he grinned with a knowing smile. Anna got flustered.

"Yeah, he slept on the air mattress last night." she said and plopped down onto her bed. She laid back on it and Michael laid down beside her and looked up at the ceiling. He reached over and took her hand in his.

"So, let's stay up all night and watch old movies together. I can make the popcorn." he said. She looked at his angelic face. So sweet and pretty.

"Sure, we can see what's on." she slid off the bed, Michael grabbed her arm lightly to stop her.

"Let's watch in the livingroom." he said. She smiled and walked out of her bedroom and down the staircase. Alex was reading in the livingroom and looked pretty into his book. She turned the tv on and went to the Netflix like program to find horror movies.

"We are going to watch horror movies." she said to Alex. Alex groaned but stayed where he was in the arm chair. Michael was making popcorn in the kitchen and a few moments later both her and Michael were huddled together in front of the sofa watching the scary movie together.


	10. Chapter 10-The News

Chapter 10: The News

It was late into the night that her and her best friend stayed up to watch old horror movies. About 4 in the morning that Anna stretched herself and got to her feet. She placed her playing cards down onto the coffee table. Michael rubbed at his brown eyes then stood up too. Alex laid sprawled out on the couch with his mouth open and snored softly.

"I should get him into bed." Anna said and looked down at her sleeping husband, she brushed some of his very dark hair out of his eyes. Michael pushed her hand away gently with a soft laugh.

"Nah, just leave him there. He looks comfortable." Michael said and held her hand firmly. "Let's get you up to bed though. You look like you are about to fall over."

"Well, I haven't stayed up this late since, I don't know when." she laughed, she let go of his hand and bent down towards Alex. She touched Alex's cheek gently with her finger tips. Michael rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed that she was touching Alex. "I do need to get him into bed. You don't understand, he will complain and complain that he slept on the couch all night and I don't feel like listening to it." she grumbled. She shook Alex's shoulder firmly. Alex mumbled in his sleep and rolled over onto his side, one long arm dangled from the edge of the couch and his long legs stretched out to where they rest on the arm of the couch. "Hey, Alex. Wake up!" she said loudly. Alex's eyes fluttered for a moment then he was gone again.

"Here, let me." Michael moved Anna away from Alex. He went and got a glass of water. Anna tried to grab the water away from Michael.

"No! Don't do that!" she cried but was too late. Michael dumped the water over Alex's head. Alex leaped up into the air sputtering and wiped his eyes to see who dared to toss water onto him while he slept.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Alex yelled. When his vision cleared he saw Anna with her mouth open in shock and her arms extended toward Michael. Michael held an empty glass with an eyebrow raised. Alex growled very loudly and flexed his fingers. Alex squared off his shoulders ready to punch Michael's face in.

"It got him up." Michael said and placed the glass down onto the table. Anna hit Michael in the arm hard.

"You punk!" she shouted at Michael. Michael pouted some. Anna's face softened when he pouted. She rolled her eyes and patted his hand. "Boys are so stupid, it's ok. I'm just going to take Alex to bed."

"It's not ok! The bastard dumped water on me! He is going to pay for that!" shouted Alex. Anna clamped her hand over his mouth before he could shout more.

"We have to stop shouting. My folks are asleep!" she hissed at them both. "Come on Alex. Let's just get to bed alright." she dropped her hand from Alex's mouth

"No. He will pay for what he did! The bastard dumped water on me!" Alex shouted again and Anna smacked her hand back against Alex's mouth and hissed at him.

"We need to get to bed Alex." Anna said and Alex tried to free his face from her hand. She leaned up and whispered into his ear "Let's go to bed, I'll sleep naked tonight." Alex looked down at her, one eyebrow raised up and he pushed her hand off his mouth.

"Let's go to bed then." he smirked evilly at her then grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. She gasped out and wiggled in his grasp. Michael was a bit stunned then his face got red not from embrarrassment but from anger. He did not want Anna going up to her bedroom with Alex. He knew that look that Alex had and knew that Anna would be on her back and legs apart in no time.

"Wait, um...you know it is about 4 am. We could go down to the 24 hour breakfast place up the street like how we always do if we stay up late." Michael suggested. Alex turned around with Anna over his shoulder with a very impish smirk. He was up to no good.

"I don't think so. It's bedtime. You heard her. Night." Alex waved with his free hand. Anna wiggled in his grasp a bit harder, her legs kicked about. He slapped her bottom and turned for the stairs. Anna lifted her head to look at Michael and shrugged her shoulders as best she could.

"Goodnight Michael. Sleep...OUCH! Alex don't do that!" she cried and he carried her up the stairs.

She was surprised at how fast he was moving. Her hands were on his lower back and she could feel the muscles ripple under his shirt and she looked down at his bottom. Once in the hallway and Michael was not around she slapped Alex's bottom. Alex growled and kicked open her bedroom door. He tossed her onto the bed. She almost flipped right off the bed with how hard he tossed her. Her door slammed shut and he locked it. She turned on her bedside lamp so she could see him, every thought of Michael was gone from her head. Alex, she thought about Alex, she wanted him. He lust in his eyes were a bit intimidating but arousing at the same time. His brown eyes grew darker and he lumbered closer to the bed. He was already tight in his pants. She shivered with nervousness and excitement. She was not sure what he was going to do. Alex pounced her. She yelled out and fell back onto the bed with a big smile. His weight pushed her down into the bed. He grabbed her shirt roughly and pulled it off then her socks and pants. He pulled his own clothes off. He felt so hot in them and restricted. He needed his clothes off. Anna wiggled out of her panties and tossed them aside. Alex grabbed at her body roughly and they both felt the intense desire for each other. She needed him and he needed her.

OOOOOOOO

They woke up hours later still exhausted. Lunch was awkward. Her parents did not say very much and wouldn't meet their eyes. Anna blushed hard through most of lunch time. She had tried to stay quiet last night but it became very difficult. They had never made love like that, it was very intense and left them both shaking. Michael showed up later from the guest bedroom to grab a bite to eat. He was silent too. Alex couldn't help but smirk at the commoner and hold Anna's hand to rub in more salt into the wound. Michael did notice but did give Alex the satisfaction of being irked.

The trio finally left to go shopping and walk through the park. Alex stayed on one side of Anna and Michael on the other the whole time. Anna started to feel claustrophobic with how close the boys were standing. They both seem to be vying for her attention too. When they had walked onto the street with open air markets, Michael bought her her favourite flower from a flower vender, a pink rose. Alex bought her a pretty hair pin and even made a show of putting it into her hair. Michael then bought Anna a cute notebook and pen. Alex, in turn, bought her a silky green scarf. She had enough and had to put a stop to it before they whole market got bought up.

"Alright, stop. Look, thank you for the gifts and all that but this is getting out of hand. Let's just go home and watch a movie or something. You two are acting like idiots" she cried and threw her hands up into the air. The scarf got picked up by the wind and hit her face. She waved her hands about to get the scarf off her face. Michael smirked and Alex reached over to help her with the scarf.

"Fine, we will go home and watch a movie. NOT one of those stupid old horror ones though. Please, I can not take another one of those. And, I'm not an idiot" said Alex. He reaches down and took her hand in his, he pulled her closer to him. He gave Michael a fierce stare.

"I think we will watch whatever Anna wants to watch. You are an idiot" replied Michael, the air crackled between the two boys, their eyes locked in an intense stare-down.

"Stop it, let's just go home." Anna pulled herself away from Alex. She glared at both of them before stomping off down the street. Michael and Alex followed close behind her. Both of the boys purposefully bumping into each other and pushing. Michael almost landed onto a table full of sunglasses, Alex had pushed him pretty hard. Alex stumbled later and hit against a table full of socks and scarves then shot Michael an angry look. Anna wanted them to stop fighting and get along. She wasn't sure how that will happen. She did not want them to buy her things either. She ignored them the whole way back to her house. She punched in the numbers to open the gate then ran into the house. She hurried up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. From her room she could hear Michael and Alex arguing with each other, she picked up her pillow and put it over her head to block out the angry voices. The voices began to fade away and she was asleep. Her body relaxed and the stress faded away.

She wasn't sure when or how long she fell asleep. Alex shook her gently awake and pulled the pillow from off her head. He brushed her blonde hair off her cheek. She knew something was wrong from the look on his face. She sat up on the bed.

"Alex, is it...your father?" she asked, her voice shook when she asked. Alex nodded his head, his brown eyes looked so sad.

"We need to get back to the castle right away. He maybe has hours left, maybe..." his voice shook too and he got up from the bed. "I'll have some servants come by to pick up our things and deliver them to the castle. There is a driver outside."

Anna slid off the bed, she ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She felt bad for Alex. She wanted to hold him and help him feel better. She said goodbye to her parents and Michael. Alex waited anxiously by the car for her. She got into the car with him and held his hand the whole time. Alex did not say a word the whole way back to the castle. He seemed to be fighting with himself internally. She wondered if he was trying not to cry in front of her. She knew he was trying to keep a brave face.

The castle gates opened for them and the car stopped, Alex did not wait for the driver to open the door for them. He ran into the castle as fast as his long legs could carry him. Anna let him have a moment to get to his father's room and have a moment. She climbed out of the car and walked into the castle. The maids bowed to her when she walked inside of the large hallway.

A butler lead her to the king's bedroom. She has only seen him a couple of times since she had come to the castle. He was kind to her and happy she married his son. She now wished she had gotten to know him more. She peered into the bedroom, the room was huge but full of monitors that beeped, tubes, IV bags, oxygen tanks, doctors and nurses. The king lay on his bed pale and fragile. His eyes closed but his lips were moving softly. The queen stood by him with her head bent to listen to what her husband was saying to her. Alex stood on the other side of the bed holding his father's fragile hand. She didn't want to intrude on the family.

"You have given me more than enough love my darling. You don't need to apologise to me. You are a wonderful husband and so happy that I was able to be apart of your life, my sweet." the Queen said softly. King Alec smiled as best he could and opened his eyes to look at his wife. He reached up to touch her cheek. The Queen kissed his hand and held his hand against her cheek. King Alec turned to Alex. Anna saw Alex take a sharp breath and gave his father a brave face. He smiled down at his father.

"I am so proud of you Alex. You will become a great king. I wish I had spent more time with you. I love you, son. You must remember to love your wife and treat her well." King Alec said in a raspy voice. It took everything he had to speak.

"Father, I will be a great king. You are a great father and don't forget it." Alex said, his voice shook and he leaned down to kiss King Alec on the forehead. The King noticed Anna hovering in the doorway. Anna stepped into the room. She had tears streaming down her face and couldn't control them. She walked over to the foot of the bed, her hand rested lightly on the edge of his bed by his feet.

"Now, the family is complete. Anna, make Alex a great husband and king. You are a wonderful girl" King Alec coughed hard, the beeping got loud for a moment from his monitors.

"Yes, I will." Anna said and surprised her voice sounded strong but the tears kept leaking out. The king closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open and whispered softly again. The Queen leaned down to kiss his cheek and whispered to her husband. Their last and final goodbyes to each other. Anna looked away, she did not want to intrude on the couple.

Her breath caught in her throat when the heart monitor flat lined. She put her face into her hands and cried harder. The doctors and nurses rushed around her. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She didn't know who was pulling her gently out of the room and into the hallway. She didn't know how she got back into her bedroom either. She laid in a heap in the middle of the bed and cried for her king, her husband, and for the country who had lost a great man.


	11. Chapter 11: Christmas Funeral

Chapter 11: Christmas Funeral

The king had passed away on the 22nd of December at 9:38pm. The whole castle fell into mourning. A new flag was put out on the flagpole on top of the castle. A black and white one. The flag had one black and white horizontal stripe. The black on the bottom meant death of the body and white meant heaven and hope. All of the staff in the castle wore white armbands on their left arms. All of the mirrors were covered throughout the whole castle. Anna was pleasantly surprised to see how much the people loved their king. The park near the castle had a statue of the former king, people stood around it with candles that night, placed flowers and words of love and hope for him and his family. Alex had shown up once at the park to thank the people for their love and concern. People also left flowers and kind words all along the castle walls and gates. Sometimes the servants would go out to tend to the flowers along the walls and come back with heaps of condolence letters for the family.

Christmas Eve was somber and quiet. She spent it with Alex and his mother, they had a Christmas Eve dinner and opened one present each from under the massive Christmas tree in the grand hallway. They read the story of the birth of Christ then head for bed, no one felt like talking. Christmas Day came, it was quiet in the castle, the Queen came down to open presents with Anna and Alex early in the morning. Queen Justine quickly went back to her room after the presents were opened to be by herself. This was Alex and Anna's first Christmas together and it had been very difficult. It was also his and Justine's first Christmas without King Alec.

"Happy Christmas Alex." Anna said, she kissed Alex on the cheek in front of the huge lit up Christmas tree. Alex wrapped his arms around her neck and held her tight. She felt his chest heave as he cried into the side of her neck. All Anna could do was wrap her arms around her husband and hold him while he cried.

"Happy Christmas Anna," Alex whispered near her ear, "I wish it could have been a better one for us being that it's our first Christmas."  
Anna shook her head and stroked his back.  
"Alex, it's alright. We will have many more Christmases together." Anna said and kissed his damp cheek.

Anna spent part of the day with her parents and Michael. They exchanged gifts and she felt a little happier at home and surrounded by the people she loved. The atmosphere was lighter which helped Anna's mood. Her parents were so happy to see their daughter and gave her hugs and kept giving her hugs which she needed.

They had an early Christmas dinner with a Christmas goose and all the trimmings, potatoes, bread, vegetables, fruit salads and pies. Anna and Michael helped her mother with making dinner and her father set the table. Alex had showed up for the early dinner with her family and Michael. Alex perked up slightly at Anna's house. He even smiled a couple of times during dinner.

"Hey, I got you a pair of gloves to match that green scarf Alex got you." said Michael and handed her a gold wrapped present with a big red bow on the opened up the gold wrapped present and pulled out a pair of gloves, dark green like her scarf and made of cashmere. It felt so soft, she brushed a glove lightly against her cheek.

"Thanks Michael. I hope you like the first edition of your favourite book. Treat it well." she said and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Michael blushed from the kiss and patted her on the top of her head.

"I will, I promise. It's going in my library when I get home." he grinned at her. Alex walked into the living room and leaned down to kiss Anna on the cheek.

"We should head back Anna, I'm sure mother is expecting us." Alex said and helped Anna off the couch. Anna bid her farewells to her loved ones and went back to the somber castle for the night.

Back at the castle after dinner it was quiet again. Anna roamed the castle, there was nothing for her to do. All of the funeral preparations were in the Queen's and Alex's hands. His family and extended family had started to show up at the castle for the funeral. Maids and butlers were running all over the castle setting up rooms for the guests who were staying. She felt in the way and finally resolved herself to the library to read. She read until Alex found her in the library later. He picked her up from the couch and carried her to their bedroom. He held her close all night, his face buried in the back of her neck. She let him hold her knowing he needed her to be near him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a parent and hoped that her own parents would live a very long time.

December 26th, the day of the funeral. Anna awoke to Alex shaking her gently. He was already dressed in an all black suit with a white sash over his chest. He had on a white armband around his upper left arm. Anna got up, showered and dressed. She had on a black dress that went to her knees, a black hat, black gloves,black stockings,black cloak, black high heels, and a white armband on her upper left arm. The Queen was dressed in a similar fashion to Anna but had a black veil over her face.

The funeral procession to St. Piux started at the castle. The King was in a black casket with silver and gold inlay, the country's flag was draped over it with a large wreath of white flowers. The casket was in a large carriage pulled by four black horses. Alex, his mother and Anna rode in another black carriage behind the casket then the rest of the family either rode in cars or walked behind them. People lined the streets waving black and white flags, many people were crying. As the casket and their carriage passed, people would throw white flowers into the street behind them.

St. Piux was filled with people and the steps covered with white flowers from the people. The casket was carried inside carefully and Anna followed behind Queen Justine. Alex was one of the carriers of the casket. Once it was placed in the front of the nave near the bishop, Alex moved to sit in the front pew with his mother and Anna. All kinds of flowers were placed around the nave and aisles as well as family pictures from when King Alec was a child to adulthood. The picture she liked best of the King was one where he, Justine and Alex were camping. Alex looked to be about twelve and pleased with himself. His father had his arm around Alex and Justine. He was a very handsome man and Alex received some of those features, the jaw line, the shape of his eyebrows, and strong hands. Important people filed into the nave and the service began.

Queen Justine spoke first, she spoke about the love her husband had for his family and his people. She broke down at the end of her speech, she couldn't stop herself. She kept a brave face for as long as she could. Alex spoke after his mother. He gave her a tight, firm hug before she sat down next to Anna. He spoke about the kind of father King Alec was and his kind heart. Alex looked at his wife which helped give him some comfort and courage to speak. Anna held Queen Justine's hand and hoped that it would comfort her in some way. When Alex finished he sat down on the other side of Anna and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his hand rested on his mother's back. The service was very beautiful, the bishop had kind words for the king and words of comfort and peace for the family and people.

The king was to be placed in the family mausoleum. The bishop prayed while the casket was brought into the huge structure. Alex was one of the carriers of the casket along with the Prime Minister and other important government figures. The family lined the walkway as the casket went by. Queen Justine placed a single white flower on top of the casket and kissed the side of the casket before it went into the mausoleum. Anna hugged the queen, she looked like she was about to collapse when the casket was put inside. Alex held his mother's elbow to help keep her up too.

"Let me stay for a bit longer, please." Queen Justine whispered to them both, her eyes filled with tears and cheeks damp. Alex let his mother's elbow go and Anna dropped her arms by her sides. The Queen stepped into the mausoleum and knelt down beside the casket. Alex reached for Anna's hand and walked her down the pathway. The people that stayed for the placement of the casket in the mausoleum started to disperse. Some of the people were wiping their eyes dry. Alex said goodbye to some of the people who offered their condolences. Anna stayed by his side and held his hand until they two were the only people left.

"Thank you Anna, for being here. It's been very difficult for us." Alex said. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin looked white. He looked tired. Anna gave his hand a firm squeeze.

"I wish I could have done more for you. All I've done was stay in the library. There were so many people rushing about I felt in the way." Anna said with a loud sniff. She wiped at her nose with a tissue.

"You have helped. You've been near my side and helped my mother too." he smiled warmly at her. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Anna leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

The queen stayed for an hour beside the casket. Anna and Alex roamed the royal cemetery as they waited. They knew she needed to say goodbye and find peace. Queen Justine was pale when she was ready to leave but gave them both a reassuring smile as they got into the carriage. The Queen gave Alex a hug and kiss on the cheek then patted Anna on the hand warmly.

"Thank you for letting me have my time. I feel much better now. Your father will be sorely missed." The Queen said and wiped away a couple of tears from her eyes. "Missed but never forgotten."

OOOOOOOOO

New Year's Eve came along. Alex said he could do with some distraction and needed to get out of the castle for a bit. He agreed to meet up with some of Anna's friends including Michael. Michael said he will to have a small New Year's Eve party at his house when Anna told him about what Alex said.

Anna and Alex showed up at Michael's huge gated house at 8:30pm. A couple of cars were already in the long driveway in front of Michael's house. The iron gates opened for them and Alex drove up to the house. Michael's house was like a small castle. It was made of gray stone as well and had beautiful, tall windows and large wooden front door. The gardens in the front was well trimmed even in winter time, a large French styled fountain was in front of the house and turned on. Water sprayed gently from the statues mouths or hands. Anna had been to Michael's house a few times since they've been friends. He mostly hung out at her house though and said it felt more comfortable to be at her house than at his. His parents were hardly ever home, they were too busy to be home.

Inside of the house was beautiful and chic. Modern furniture, paintings and rugs decorated the house. Michael had greeted them and Mitzy, Raj, Abby and John all showed up. Alex had a couple of friends there as well whom Anna did not know very well but have seen him around the two boys at school. One was named Gordon, a tall, lanky guy with blonde hair and charming smile. The second boy was named Marcus, a rugby player, broad shouldered and handsome.

Alex seemed happy for a bit of distraction. He talked and laughed with his two friends which made Anna happy to see him laugh finally and more at ease. Anna too needed to be out and about with people her own age too and just relax. It had been a stressful Christmas holiday for them both. She chatted with all four of her friends about various topics such as school, new music videos, movies that came out over the holidays or about to come out.  
The ball was about to drop, they had five minutes left. Everyone scrambled around to get a wine glass with non-alcoholic white wine. Anna stood next to Alex and Michael. The news crew were standing by the largest bridge in the city, in the back the ball glowed different colours and it began to drop.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1" shouted the whole party then people yelled and cheered when the ball hit the bottom. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!".

Michael swooped down quickly and gave Anna a hug. She laughed and gave him a hug right back then Alex grabbed her and pulled her close. He stared at Michael then leaned down to kiss Anna firmly on the lips with a big smile. He pulled her close to his body as he continued to kiss her. She blushed hard and heard a few cheers from her friends before he let her go. She caught her breath and laughed unable to help herself. She felt that the new year will be wonderful and hoped for the best.

"Happy New Year, Anna." laughed Alex, his eyes gleamed and twinkled.

"Happy New Year, Alex." grinned Anna, she leaned up and kisses his cheek before going back to the party.


	12. Chapter 12-So, How about kids?

January rolled by slowly, the castle still in mourning with black draped over windows, tables and chairs. Queen Justine cried in her room at night and during the day she roamed the castle giving orders to the servants like usual or went out riding on her horse to get away. Alex was busy with school then once he got home he was busy speaking with diplomats and presidents of major business corporations. Anna felt like she was in the way of everyone. She did not have much to do but go to school, homework and princess lessons. February came up and Valentine's Day was coming up fast. Anna sat in her history lesson wondering what they are going to do for Valentine's Day. It would be their first Valentine's Day

"Anna, kindly pay attention to your history lesson!" her tutor said. He was a balding man in his late forties. He pushed his round glasses back up his nose. Anna had a faint smile on her lips and a far off look in her eyes.

"Hmm? Oh yes, sorry Mr. Gerold. The rebellion of 1610. Sir Radford lead the...we aren't on that anymore are we..." her voice trailed off and she stared down at her history book and blushed. Mr. Gerold shook his head.

"No, we aren't. I was talking about 1734 with King Alexander the 4th took over the throne and pushed the Jews and Gypsies out of the country. He was not a kind king." he said with a frown and folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't remember reading anything like that in our history books." Anna said with a brow raised. Mr. Gerold laughed and uncrossed his arms.

"Did you pay attention in class?" he smiled, "You know, why don't we just stop for the day. Your mind is on other things. We will begin again the day after tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Mr. Gerold. I'll pay attention. I promise." she said and got up from the blue chair she was sitting in.

"It's fine Princess." he bowed. "Until next time." He picked up his books and brief case.

"Yeah, I mean, Yes. See you in a couple of days." she said and closed her own book with a smile. What to do with her spare time, she thought for a moment on what to do. She skipped out of the room closing the door behind her. She bumped into Alex who was coming up the hallway.

"Ouch!" Anna cried when she bumped into Alex and caught herself before she fell over. She rubbed her elbow that she hit against the wall.

"Watch it... oh, it's you Anna. Just the person I was looking for." Alex said with an impish smile and grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway. She pulled on her hand to get it back from him.

"Where are you taking me?" she yelled at him. He pulled on her hand harder and turned corners quickly. She tried to avoid hitting walls and furniture. She knew she was going to get a couple of bruises as her leg connected with a chair then her hand hit a corner of the wall. She managed to yank her hand free from Alex and she stood panting and rubbed her sore hand.

"Sorry, I was just so excited. I want to show you something Anna. It's a couple of doors down from here." Alex reached for her hand that she rubbed and gave the back of her hand a little kiss. He very gently tugged on her hand to lead her down the cream coloured hallway. He let go of her hand and turned to open the door. He took a deep breath before turning to her. "Close your eyes. It's a surprise."

Anna raised an eyebrow and smirked. Her heart beat fast in her chest from all the running and now excitement. She loved surprises. She wondered if he got her something beautiful like a necklace or food like a huge box of chocolates. She heard the wooden doors open and felt Alex take both her hands into his. He lead her into the room slowly so she wouldn't trip over anything.

"Alright, open them!" he said and moved to her side. Anna opened her big blue eyes and blinked from the light coming from the huge windows and looked around. The room was lovely with dark wood floors, and plush couches and armchairs. She saw books, heaps and heaps of books on shelves that went up to the ceiling. Books leather bound, hardbacks and paperbacks in various sizes and colours. She couldn't help but smile and looked at Alex.

"It's a library." she said simply.

"Yes, and I'm giving it to you. I want you to have it." he said to her. His eyes locked onto hers. He leaned in kissing her soft lips, his hand brushed her cheek.

"You are giving me this library?" she sounded shocked and stepped away from him. "And here I thought I was going to get a huge box of chocolates, instead I got a library!" she laughed and covered her mouth with her hands for a moment, she was very touched. She turned to him and dropped her hands from her mouth. "It's beautiful Alex. Thank you." she ran at him and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him multiple times on his lips laughing. Alex wrapped his arms around her waist laughing. He held her close to him not wanting to let her go. After her reaction to the library maybe he should give her more things!

"Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day..."he pulled his head back so he could speak to her. She stopped kissing him to look up into his eyes again. "As I was saying, tomorrow I would like to take you out to a nice dinner in the city tower."

"You mean Lorriant Tower by the river? The one that is like super tall and the top part rotates so you see all of the city without having to move while you eat?" she asked, her eyes got very big and and twinkled. She had never been there and her family couldn't afford to go there to eat at the beautiful restaurant in the top of the tower.

"Yes, that tower my princess." he laughed at her facial reaction from surprised to happiness. She squealed softly and kissed him hard on the lips. Alex almost fell backwards from the force of her body. "Whoa Princess. Sadly, I must go. I have to speak with some business companies now." he grinned and pushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I will see you later." he untangled himself from her, bowed then walked out of the room.

Anna closed the door behind him. Now, she was all alone in the room. She laughed loudly and ran the whole length of the room. Her fingers ran along the spines of the books and over shelves. She turned on floor lamps and table lamps over and over. She picked up books to peer inside. She rode around on the tall ladder connected to the shelves. She could not believe this little library was hers. She has seen the King's library. A massive room with stairs and books from floor to ceiling and books behind glass cases. All the books leather bound. She knew that room belongs to Alex now. But this room was all hers and she can do as she pleases and read all the books in there and bring in more books! She plopped down onto the light pink plush couch with a loud sigh. A smile played across her lips as she thought about the library and Alex.

OOOOOOO

Anna stared at her closet for a long time trying to figure out what to wear for the special Valentine's dinner. She rolled her head back and forth on her neck as she looked around and gave a big sigh. She was so nervous too. This was her real first Valentine's. She has never really dated anyone and she was always with Michael who was her best friend. They gave each other a small box of chocolates each year then hung out at her house watching movies. Or she hung out with Abby and Mitzy for a girl's night out. Now, she was having her first real Valentine's with her husband. It was weird to think that she was already married. She shook her head and picked up a dark red dress. She held it up against herself and looked into the tall mirrors in her closet.

"I guess this one? Or the black...what am I saying. You can't wear black to a Valentine's dinner! Red one." she said firmly. She unzipped the dress and slipped it over her head then stood in the mirror to check. She turned her body every which way. "This will have to do." she nodded her head once and zipped the side of the dress. The dress had thick straps and cut nicely to show off her pretty curves. The dress stopped two inches shy from her knees and had a small slit in the back. She pulled out black open-toed heels. She kind of missed tennis shoes and comfortable shoes that she could wear every day. She has a couple pairs of flats but Alex and his mother agreed that she needed to wear more "princess" like shoes. She pulled on a diamond necklace then sat in front of her vanity to look at her hair.

A while later Anna was ready to go. She had a maid help with her hair which was pulled up in a messy bun with gentle curls. Alex beamed at her as he helped her into the limo. She was so nervous and wanted tonight to be perfect.

"You look very nervous Anna." Alex smiled and leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek. He took one of her hands so she would stop fidgeting. She clasped his hands with both of hers.

"I am a little bit. I have to confess that I've never really had a Valentine's Day with someone I lo...er like." she blushed slightly. She almost said the other "l" word and she wanted him to say it to her first.

"You like me?" Alex asked with his flirty smile forming on his lips. Sometimes that smile irritated her or made her forget what she was thinking. Now it made her forget. He looked so devilishly handsome in his tailored suit, his dark hair looking just perfect and that melt-your-heart smile.

"Yeah, I mean, yes, I like you." she blushed more and shoved his hand away from her. She turned her back towards him to look out the window. They were getting closer to Lorriant tower. "Leave me alone, you are getting me all flustered."

"I am getting you all flustered? I haven't done anything." he laughed and reached over brushing his fingers against the inside of her arm. She jumped and her heart almost stopped. She wasn't sure why he had this affect on her after being married to him for a few months, seen him naked, and had sex with him many times. She turned to him with a slight scowl. He had that flirty smile still on his lips and he kissed her cheek.

"I have to tell you, you look very stunning in that dress Anna." his dark eyes raked her over from head to toe and she felt a little self-conscious, she wasn't sure why. He had seen her naked loads of times. He kissed her cheek again then whispered softly into her ear "I like you too Anna."

She bit on her bottom lip and moved her legs closer together. She was a bit aroused by him whispering into her ear. She tried to calm herself down but it was getting hot in the limo and his body was so close to hers. He kissed against her neck just under her ear that he whispered into. She gasped very softly. "Alex...I..." but her words were caught in her throat and she couldn't remember what she was going to say.

"Hm?" he asked and kissed down the side of her neck. She closed her eyes, her skin burned where he kissed her. She didn't feel the limo stop, she was too caught up in him kissing her neck. He pulled away from her when the door opened and he stepped out. She welcomed the cool air as she stepped out of the limo. Her cheeks flushed. She heard a couple of people exclaim that it was Princess Anna and Prince Alex as they headed inside of the tower.

Anna finally got her heart to calm down. They got into the elevator and went up to the 30th floor to the restaurant. The doors dinged open and he placed her hand onto the crook of his arm and lead her to the restaurant. It was beautiful, all the tables with white tablecloths, fresh roses on each table with candles, the carpet was plush with hues of cream, gold, pinks and green and the ceiling was ornate with paintings of clouds and birds. The walls were all glass so people could look out over the city as the top part of the tower moved. She couldn't feel the movement which amazed her.

The host didn't look up from his reservation book when Alex stepped over to the man.

"I would like a dinner for two please." Alex said in a demanding voice. Anna peered over to the book. The host sighed but did not look up.

"Name please?" the host asked. Alex looked a little miffed and looked at the host's name tag.

"Mr. Antony, my wife and I would like to have a table for two." Alex demanded again and the host looked up. The man's eyes got very large once he realised who was standing in front of him.

"Yes My Lord, right away!" he bowed and hurried to gather up menus. "Pick any place My Lord." he said. Alex looked over at Anna wanting her to pick the place. She shrugged her shoulders then pointed to an empty table by one of the huge windows a bit away from the crowd which the people looked up to stare at them and whisper.

Once seated she picked up her menu with a little laugh. She felt giddy being in the restaurant she had so wanted to go to for such a long time. She looked out the window to see all the lights of the city and cars moving along the roads. It was lovely. Alex smirked at his wife as she looked out the window and she seemed so happy. They ordered their food and enjoyed what they ate then dessert was ordered and a bottle of red wine, the best one showed up at their table. The cooks put out all the stops it seemed and the whole staff made sure everything was just perfect for the prince and his wife.

Anna pushed her spoon into the chocolate creme brulee which she had never tasted before in her life. She took a spoonful into her mouth and her eyes grew wide. Alex laughed. he couldn't help it, the look on his wife's face was priceless.

"That tasted amazing!" she gasped and picked up her little bowl of creme brulee to get more. Alex reached over to put the bowl down.

"You are out in public, don't pick up the dishware." he chuckled. Anna blushed and quickly looked around to see if anyone saw her mess up. The dessert tasted so good she could not help herself. She had to remember her princess lessons on eating. She held the spoon delicately and took another spoonful. Alex took a deep breath trying to get some courage before he spoke.

"Anna, I want to have children now." he said bluntly. Anna nearly choked on her burlee and dropped her spoon which clattered loudly. People turned to stare at them.

"What?" she gasped and her mouth was hanging open.

People started to whisper and he leaned his head down to whisper, "Close your mouth Anna!"He continued to whisper loudly to her, "I want to have children now. I'll be king soon and I want to have an heir right away. No more birth control pills and condoms."  
Anna could not believe this, it was suppose to be a lovely dinner and it was until he brought up what he wanted, children. She wants to have children but she's in high school!

"No Alex! I'm still in high school!" she whispered loudly at him and looked angry. Alex looked taken back that she said no. He was trying to keep himself composed.

"You will be Queen soon and it is your duty to have children Anna! What is the problem?" he asked and started to get angry.

"The problem is that I'm in freak'n high school Alex! I don't want to have children when I'm in high school! I want to graduate from school and go to college. Have you ever thought about what I want Alex?" she asked and trying to keep her voice down. People went back to eating their dinner. Alex grit his teeth and she could see the muscle in his jaw and neck tense up.

"Your job is to have children Anna and be by my side. What I say goes. I want children and you will have my children. " he said firmly to her. Anna's eyebrows shot up and she opened her mouth again in surprise. Alex then saw her face change to anger, her cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed, jaw clenched. She got up from the table and threw her napkin down. People turned to stare and Alex got up too. She didn't care, Alex tried to push her back into her seat. She pushed his hands off her and people gasped.

"Don't touch me! It's always about you Alex. You are such a jerk." she stomped off to get away from him. She felt eyes on her back as she walked out of the restaurant and pushed the button to get on the elevator. Alex quickly spoke to the manger about the bill and hurried after Anna but he missed her. The doors closed and she was gone. He stood by the elevator and felt humiliated and people were talking and whispering and knew that tomorrow morning it will be all in the papers and in the news.

Anna ran to the limo and told the driver to take her to Abby's house. The driver asked about the Prince and she said to just drive. The driver shrugged his shoulders and got into the car and drove off. Alex ran out of the tower in time to see the limo drive down the hill then out of sight. He cursed loudly which people walking by turned to talk and whisper.

**I'm coming to your house. Alex was a jerk. See you soon.** She text to Abby.

**Oh no! Ok, I'll be home shortly. Out with John.**

**Crap, sorry! It's fine. I'll go home! Sorry! ** Anna felt bad about that, she had only thought of herself and she just got mad at Alex for only thinking about himself. She sighed loudly.

**No, no. Come over. A girl's night. I'll get Mitzy too. TTL** texted Abby. Anna smiled slightly. She loved Abby and Mitzy.  
The limo pulled up to Abby's large house about 15 minutes later and the gates swung open. Lights were on in the house. She stepped out of the limo and rung the doorbell. Abby swung the door open with a big grin. She grabbed Anna's arm and yanked her into the house.

"Oooh, don't you look stunning in that red dress Anna baby!" Abby cried out when she saw the dress. Anna laughed and struck a pose for Abby like a model. "Work it Anna!" Abby said with a laugh. "Mitzy will be here soon. Then we can do face masks, eat junk food and watch movies!" she gently pulled Anna towards the stairs. They hurried up the stairs to Abby's bedroom and Anna plopped herself down onto the blue, purple and gold bed, she kicked off her high heels.

"Sorry to burst in on your Valentine's. How is John?" Anna asked and turned her head to peer over at her tall, pretty friend. Abby had on a pair of pink pj pants and white tank. Abby rubbed some lotion over her arms and shoulders with a smile.

"John darling is just fine. He took me to a lovely little cafe he found and we sat in a cozy little spot, held hands and just talked. He gave me some flowers too." Abby said and pointed to some red and yellow roses in a crystal vase by her bed. "So, what did the big jerk do, huh?" Anna sat up on the bed and folded her long legs up. She shook her head with a frown on her lips.

"He took me to Lorriant Tower for a nice dinner then he destroyed the dinner by TELLING me he wants children and whatever he says goes." she sighed. Abby suddenly burst out laughing. "It's not funny Abby!"

"No, no, I know it's not funny but I just can't believe he would say something like that. That was so uncool. I'm sorry hunny." she sat down next to Anna and pulled Anna's head onto her shoulder. She rubbed Anna's back.

"So, I told him I'm still in high school and want to wait then told him he's a jerk and walked out." Anna said.

"Good for you. He doesn't need to treat you like that Anna."

"So, enough about him. Let's get started. You have another pair of pjs I could use?" Anna asked and pulled herself away from Abby. She unzipped her dress. Abby got up and went to her chest of drawers to take a look.

Mitzy joined up later and looked flushed. She tossed her designer sleepover bag into Abby's room and got into her pj's too. The girl's sat in the living room eating chips while their chocolate and yoghurt mask set. Anna felt so much better. She needed that girl's night. Her phone kept buzzing and she knew it was Alex. She finally put her phone on silent so she could enjoy her time with the girls.

"Your phone lit up again Anna. Man, he doesn't stop does he!" said Mitzy as she picked up Anna's phone. "Hmm, he said "Where are you? Come home right now." and to think I actually had a crush on him." she shook her head and her curls bounced about. She tossed the phone over to Anna. Anna groaned. She should tell Alex she was alright.

**Don't worry. I'm fine. Be home tomorrow** then she hit send. The first text she sent after leaving him hours ago.

**No, come home right now or I'll come get you!** he text right back. She shoved her phone between the couch cushions and turned back to the girls. One of their favourite parts of the movie was coming up. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Mitzy and Abby grabbed each other with loud squeals as Mr. Darcy came out of the bathtub and saw Lizzie playing outside with the dogs and that look he had on his face. Anna sighed loudly and fell back against the side of the couch.

"I love Mr. Darcy." Anna said dreamily and popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth.

"I would marry him in a heartbeat! He's gorgeous!" gushed Mitzy and squealed once more. Abby laughed and reached for her open can of soda and took a swig.

"He's so intense and loves so hard. I wouldn't mind crawling into his bed." Abby said with a grin and a wink. Anna laughed and tossed a pillow at her friend's head. Abby got hit in the face with the pillow and dramatically fell over onto her back laughing. The doorbell rang and Abby sat up quickly.

"Who could that be? I told John I'm having a girl's night." Abby got up from the floor and headed for the front door, the butler beat her to it. The doorbell rang several more times. Anna had a sinking feeling she knew who was at the door and did not want to see this person. Abby's butler opened the door and loud yelling commenced.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY WIFE!" shouted Alex, "TELL ME!". He was frantic and very angry. The butler took a step back and pointed towards the living room. Anna and Mitzy came running into the hallway by the front door. Alex was in jeans and a sweater, his hair was a bit crazy and looked like his shoes were mismatched. He saw her and he took two big strides in her direction and grabbed Anna's shoulders tightly.

"There you are! You have no idea how worried I've been! I've been searching for you and calling up John to pump out info from him. I'm going to have to kill him when I see him next!" he yelled and wrapped his arms around Anna. He held her close to him but she did not move her arms around him to hug him back.

"I told you I was fine and that I would be back tomorrow." she said loudly. "Now go away." Alex pulled away from her and frowned.

"You are going home with me Anna." he said firmly and pulled on her arm. He headed for the door. Anna pulled her arm out of his grasp and shook her head. She scowled at him. She walked over to Abby and Mitzy who were standing off to the side trying to stay out of the way.

"No, I'm staying here tonight. I want to stay here. Let me have some time with my friends alright." Anna stated and stood her ground. Alex walked back over to her, she could tell he was angry. His jaw tight and neck were tense. His face was inches from hers.

"Come home, now." he said through gritted teeth.

"No, I'll see you tomorrow." she turned on her heels, her back faced him and he growled loudly.

"Well, fine then! Act like a stupid kid." he threw his hands up into the air and stomped to the front door. "And here I was worried about my wife. She didn't bother to text for hours! So ungrateful after I gave her a library too! Obviously her friends are way more important!" he shouted as he walked out of the house. Anna clenched her fists by her sides. The butler shut the door behind him, Anna breathed out slowly and looked at her two friends.

"I'm sorry about the drama." she said with a sad smile. "Let's get back to Mr. Darcy and Lizzie huh. I don't want to talk about what happened." the silence was a bit awkward as Mitzy and Abby stared at her. Anna shifted on her feet and pointed to the living room. Abby was the first to break out of staring at her friend.

"Mr. Darcy is a dreamboat! I love how Colin Firth plays him. You can just tell Mr. Darcy is in love with Lizzie" gushed Abby and grabbed both her friend's hands and dragged them back into the living room. Anna smiled, grateful that Abby broke the weird silence. She sat down in front of the flat screen to watch Mr. Darcy. The girls stayed up to watch the whole mini series. Loud squealing issued from each girl when the scene of Mr. Darcy swimming in the pond then meeting Lizzie came about. Mitzy fanned herself. Anna was able to relax and not think about Alex. Her phone was still buried between the couch cushions.


	13. Chapter 13-Learn a Thing or Two

Chapter 13- Learn a thing or two

'MOTHER!" shouted Alex. He ran back inside of the castle after trying to get his wife to come home which his plan did not work. The servants bowed as he ran down hallways to find his mother. "MOTHER!" he shouted again. His mother was in the dining room speaking to the cook. She winced when Alex shouted for a third time for her. He ran by the room then skidded to a stop and trudged back. "There you are! I've been calling for you."

"More like yelling for me and I wasn't about to answer to someone who was yelling. It's very unbecoming dear." Justine said. She waved the cook away who bowed then hurried off to the kitchens. Justine turned her full attention to her son who looked flushed and seemed to be wearing mismatched shoes. "What is it my love?"

"Anna won't come home. I demanded that she come home with me and she just brushed me off! How dare she!" he shouted and smacked his fist onto the mahogany table hard. He winced from the pain going through his hand. "Ouch."

"Serves you right. You shouldn't be hitting furniture. It didn't do anything to you." she stroked the table gently with her fingertips then took a deep breath. She pulled out a chair and gently pushed on her son's shoulders to sit down. He was reluctant at first but he caved in and sat down in the chair. "Now, tell me what you did."

"What I did?" gasped Alex with a look of surprise.

"Yes, what you did. What did you do to make her so angry that she didn't come home." she said firmly and folded her arms across her chest. She raised one eyebrow as she stared down at her son.

"Well I...wait..I didn't do anything! I took her to that stupid tower for dinner then told her I wanted to have children! She got mad at me. Said she wanted to wait and that she was in high school. I told her what I say goes and she called me a jerk and stormed off like a child! People were staring! Why are you smirking? I hate that." Alex scowled and hunched over in his chair. He folded his arms and stared down at his feet in a huff.

"Look dear, you are moving too fast. She is right. You two are in high school. Ask her again when she graduates alright. Also, you are a bit dim witted when it comes to talking to her Alex. Don't talk down to her and think about her needs too." she said calmly. She reached over and patted his hair. "Maybe you need lessons on how to talk to your wife." she smirked.

"What? No, I refuse. Fine, I'll try harder to think about her needs too. But she should have come home with me!" he sat up in his chair and hit the table with his fist again.

"Where is she?" Justine asked and cocked her head to the side.

"She's at her stupid friend's house. That Abby girl or whatever her name is. I told her to come home. She said no and that she will be home tomorrow. She is suppose to be with me." he growled loudly and threw himself back against his chair, the chair creaked. His mother turned her head away from him and made a loud cough and put her hand over her mouth for a moment. She was trying so hard not to laugh at her son for being so stupid and his mismatched shoes aren't helping the matter either. One red tennis shoe and the other a loafer with tassels. She composed herself and cleared her throat.

"Look dear, she's a teenage girl and you were very harsh and demanding today. Let her blow off some steam and she will be happier tomorrow. She needs some girl time. Be pleasant tomorrow and say you are sorry for being a jerk. No, don't give me that look. Trust me, just say sorry. Treat her better then maybe you won't be so frazzled and run around with mismatched shoes on" she patted his hand then leaned down and kissed his cheek. She chuckled when Alex looked down at his feet to see his shoes. He made a loud groan and sunk into his chair more.

" This girl drives me crazy. Look at me. My hair is crazy and my shoes don't match." he cried and kicked his feet up to point to his shoes. "And I don't like it when she's not around." he scowled and dropped his feet to the floor. His mother knelt down in front of him and took both his hands into hers with a loving smile.

"I know dear. She's a good match for you but you need to treat her better, love. She will be home tomorrow. I think she is teaching you a thing or two that it's not all about you. You've grown up having everything you ever wanted and people falling over themselves to keep you happy. You come across a girl who sticks up for herself and says no to you. For that, I'm very proud of her. Alex, you need to be careful though. Keep treating her badly and you may lose her. I'm not talking about divorce but lose her as in she will resent you and resent being married to you. Learn to keep your temper and try...try to think about her too." she sighed then smiled at her son. Her son nodded his head once and pulled his hands from her grasps. He rubbed one hand over his eyes. He suddenly looked very tired and looked like that small, little boy she knew who needed to be tucked into bed.

"Fine, I'll try to be nicer and think about her and not all about me." he said, he dropped his hand from his eyes and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yes, dear. Now, I have something to tell you." she said and his dark eyes popped open to look at her. She stood back up to look down at him. "Your Aunt Sybil will be coming to visit us for a few months. She will be here by the end of the week. And of course she is bringing her son." she said through gritted teeth then she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She did not like Sybil and Sybil felt it was her son's right to be king. She was power hungry. "We must be courteous while they are here."

Alex gave a very loud groan and he shook his head. His Aunt Sybil was his father's sister. She was a princess and she has a son. A son a couple of months younger than himself. His cousin was a bit wild growing up and drove Alex crazy. His cousin Hayden eventually moved to Italy and went to a private school. His Aunt and cousin were at his wedding briefly and then at the funeral briefly. He didn't bother to introduce them to his wife and didn't feel the need to.

"Fine, I will be courteous. I'll tell Anna about it when she gets home tomorrow too." he got up from his chair. He was so tired and he couldn't take much more. He wanted his soft, warm bed. "I'm going to bed, mother. Goodnight." he leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. She patted him on the back as he walked off.

"Goodnight Alex. See you in the morning." she called after him. Alex walked to his bedroom expecting to see Anna in the bed already. He switched on the light to find the room was empty and he frowned. Of course, she was at her friend's house but he still hoped. He kicked off his mismatched shoes. He pulled off his sweater and slipped out of his jeans and socks. He got ready for bed and climbed under the sheets and reached over to where Anna usually slept. Her place felt cold, he pulled his hand back and rolled over onto his back. He wanted her next to him. He missed her warm body in the bed and being able to wrap his arms around her and hold her. Alex growled loudly and sat up in the bed, his shoulders hunched over and thought about what his mother said.

He was a jerk and he should treat his wife better. He will have to try hard to not be a selfish brat and think about Anna as well. He rubbed his hand over his face then ruffled up his already messy dark, brown hair. He reached over and picked up his cellphone.

**I am sorry. I miss having you in the bed with me. It's cold.** then he hit send. He laid back down on the bed holding the cellphone in his hands and staring at the screen waiting for a response. He was sure she wouldn't and why should she but he hoped. His eyes drifted close after a while and drifted into a fitful sleep.

His phone gave a loud buzz and and jerked him out of his sleep. He sat up in the bed and picked up his phone that fell from his hands last night to the floor. His heart hammered in his chest from being jerked awake and hoping it was Anna. He touched his screen to get to the texts. He found it was from his friend Gordon and how he got some ass last night. Alex tossed his phone onto the bedside table and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. He didn't want to deal with Gordon at the moment.

He shifted in the bed having a weird dream. He dreamt he heard the bedroom door open and rustling sounds and a soft "Alex?". He rolled over onto his side with a loud moan and moved his hands towards Anna's place. His hands wrapped around something warm, he smiled to himself.

Alex's dark eyes flitted open, he looked over at the pillow beside him, he wasn't sure how long he was asleep for. He smelled Anna's sweet scented shampoo. His arms were wrapped around something warm. He lifted his head off his pillow to get a better look. Anna was laying beside him, her back facing him and she snored very softly. He smiled broadly and scooted himself closer to her body to spoon. He felt that she had on panties and a tank top, her usual attire to bed. He gently nuzzled against the back of her neck to breathe in her scent. She started to move and he stayed very still but he had already woken her up. She turned around and her blue eyes blinked at him. She smiled.

"I'm sorry Anna that I was such a jerk. Forgive me?" he asked with a slight pout. Anna leaned up on her elbow with a soft laugh and touched his cheek with her fingers.

"Yes, you big jerk. I forgive you." she leaned down pressing her lips gently against his.

"Ugh, morning breath" Alex cried and Anna whacked him in the arm then started to kick him gently to get him out of the bed. He laughed as she kicked on him to get out of the bed and he didn't move.

"Such a jerk you know that! You have morning breath!" she tossed a pillow at him and he laughed as he rolled out of the bed.


	14. Chapter 14: Cousin It

Chapter 14: Cousin IT

"Wait, wait. So,Grand Duke Hayden is coming to your house?" asked Mitzy with big round eyes. She sipped on her juice box loudly. Anna nodded her head. Abby popped a couple of chips into her mouth and chewed and listened to the conversation.

"Yeah, I've only seen glimpses of him at the wedding and at the funeral but I've never met him. Alex never introduced me to Hayden or his aunt." Anna shrugged her shoulders and leaned back onto her hands in the grass. The three girls were outside on the school lawn enjoying the brief moment of warm weather and sunlight. "Alex seems to hate him and calls Hayden "it" all the time." she reached over and picked up a chocolate cookie and took a bite.

"'It' is a funny name to give someone. He must really not like him. You don't see him much in the news sadly. He is gorgeous to look at though." said Abby and grabs Mitzy's fruit drink. "My drink you little runt." Mitzy pouted for a moment then picked up another fruit drink. She opened it up and took a sip. "I wish I could be at your house. Take no offence please but to be there and just watch two gorgeous guys walking around would be awesome!" cried Abby with a big smile. Anna tossed her half eaten cookie at Abby. The cookie bounced off Abby's chest and landed in her lap. Abby picked up the cookie to finish it off.

"Hey, you are talking about my husband here!" Anna laughed.

"Yup, and he is gorgeous. You know all the girls in the country are half in love with him. Mind if I come over sometime to watch those two men walk about?" Abby asked and leaned close to Anna with a grin. She batted her eyelashes. "Pretty please?" Anna pushed her friend away with a slight smile.

"I don't know. I would have to ask Alex and his mother about letting you guys into the castle. You know they are very strict with who comes in the castle" Anna frowns a bit and thought out loud. "You know, I've never seen any of his friends come into the castle."

Mitzy finished off her drink then wrapped her arms Anna's neck. "Oh please ask if we can come. I wouldn't mind the eye candy too." Anna spluttered and pushed back at Mitzy's crazy blonde curls that seemed to invade Anna's face.

"Mitzy! Your hair girl! Can't breathe!" Anna cried. Mitzy let her go and pouted with puppy dog eyes. Anna laughed and fell back into the grass. The sun felt good against her face and bare arms. "Fine, I'll ask if you guys can come over. Maybe next week when Hayden has settled in." Abby and Mitzy both squealed loudly and plopped down on top of Anna. Anna was squashed under the two girls.

"A girl-on girl-on girl! I like that." said John. He stepped over to the three girls laying in the grass. Abby got up with a laugh and brushed the grass off her school uniform. "Hey Abby." he smiled upon seeing his girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He glanced down at Anna who was getting to her feet. She brushed some of the grass out of her blonde hair. John stepped around Abby.

"Here, let me help you Anna. You got grass still in your hair." he said and reached out a large hand. He plucked some grass from her hair and moved closer to her. Abby raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

"No, it's fine. I'll go to the bathroom and brush it out John." Anna said to her ginger haired friend. John pulled out a couple more blades of grass. "Really, it's fine." Abby pushed his hands from Anna's silky hair with a glare. He looked down at Abby and shrugged.

"What? I was trying to help her get grass from her hair." John said with an innocent look. Abby grabbed John's hand and tugged hard on him, she pulled him up the grassy hill away from Anna and Mitzy.

"See you later Anna!" cried Abby and John turned to wave too. Abby whacked him hard a few times to make him stop. He stopped waving with a scowl at Abby. Mitzy had one hand over her mouth trying to stifle her giggles. Anna looked confused.

OOOOOOOO

The day had arrived for Hayden and Sybil to arrive. Justine made sure their rooms were perfect. The gusts will be staying in the wing that Justine, Anna and Alex use. Justine figured Sybil would be happiest if she used the same wing as the crown prince. Anna was a bit nervous to meet cousin "it" and wondered if he will be anything like what Alex had told her. She heard that Hayden was a bit wild growing up.

He loved to climb trees and jump into ponds. He got sent to Italy for private school and apparently was a charmer with the ladies. He went out to nightclubs and drank until he passed out. Anna had seen him twice before but did not think much about him for she did not know who he was. Mitzy showed Anna pictures of the Grand Duke on the internet. Anna had to agree with Abby and Mitzy with how he looked. He looked amazing. Tall like Alex. Piercing blue eyes, strong jawline and dirty blonde hair. He obviously worked out, the six pack and bulging muscles made Anna weak at the knees. She enjoyed how he looked a great deal.

Anna peered out the window when she heard doors slam outside and she saw the dirty blonde head of Hayden. He picked up his large army bag with one hand and swung it over his shoulder. She gasped softly at how easily he picked up. His mother Sybil had dark hair like her brother King Alec and dark eyes. She had a slender figure and pretty face. Anna heard a soft "ahem" behind her. She turned around facing a maid who curtsied.

"Miss, the Prince has asked me to come find you and bring you down to the blue salon." the nervous maid said and curtsied again. Anna pulled away from the window and followed the maid down and met Alex in front of the wooden door leading to the blue salon. She could hear voices inside. Justine talking then the Aunt. Anna felt a little nervous. She wasn't sure why.

"My Aunt isn't the nicest person and please don't take her stupid opinions to heart Anna." Alex said with a faint smile. "You ready to go inside? Ready to meet Cousin "It"?". Anna nodded her head and Alex opened the wooden door, he took Anna's hand in his larger one. They walked inside together. She glanced around the room and saw Justine sitting on large velvet blue couch holding a teacup and saucer. She smiled upon seeing Alex and Anna walk in. Across from Justine sat Sybil sitting on a light blue settee holding a teacup as well. In an armchair sat Hayden who looked bored, his long legs dangled from an arm of the chair. He sat up when Alex came into the room.

"Ah, here is my darling nephew Alex!" said Sybil. She placed her teacup onto the pretty white coffee table and got up from the sette. She went over to Alex giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. Alex pointed over to Anna. Sybil's clever brown eyes slid over to Anna and plastered a smile on her lips. "And this skinny thing must be Anna. A pleasure to meet you. You are a plain girl aren't you. Yes, no proper upbringing at all yet here you are, a princess." Sybil tsked then walked off to sit back down on the settee. Anna was so surprised at what Sybil said she was not sure what to say. Alex smiled apologetically to Anna.

Anna curtsied to Sybil and nodded her head towards Hayden. "Pleasure to finally met Alex's charming aunt and cousin." Anna said with a strained smile to Sybil. Sybil beamed at her and took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, well Anna, why don't you sit down next to my mother." Alex said and lead her over to sit next to Justine. Hayden's intense eyes followed Anna with an eyebrow quirked up. Anna sat down next to Justine and Alex took a chair and placed it beside the couch by his wife. He glared over at Hayden. Hayden decided to get up. Anna took a sharp breath. Her heart was pounding when Hayden walked to her. He walked very gracefully and his shoulders looked strong. He was very confident which was nerve wracking. He stood in front of her with a pretty smile on his lips and reached over taking Anna's hand gently. He bent down and kissed the back of her hand.

"Finally get to meet my cousin's beautiful wife. Pay no attention to what my mother says." he laughed easily and could hear his mother behind him making a soft "hmph". He leaned in close, his face an inch from hers. Her eyes widen at how close he was and she tried to back away. "She is just jealous that Alex has found such a beautiful girl to marry and not one for me. I'm jealous too."

"What?" Anna asked, her mouth fell open for a moment trying to get her thoughts together. Hayden dropped her hand.

"Alright, enough Hayden. Go sit back down in your corner" growled Alex. Hayden turned his blue eyes to Alex and stood straight once more. He took a step towards Alex.

"Calm down Alex. Hayden was merely saying hello to a new relative, that I may remind you, that you and your family never bothered to introduce to us." Sybil said factually. She took a sip of her tea then picked up a cookie.

Hayden suddenly wrapped his arms around Alex and patted him hard on the back. Alex looked surprised and tried to pry Hayden off him. Hayden moved very fast. Anna scooted near Justine to get away from the flailing arms and legs as Alex tried to fend Hayden off. Hayden held on tighter. Anna couldn't help but giggle into her hand at Alex and Hayden. Hayden rubbed his hand through Alex's hair which he knew would irk Alex. "Get off!" and "Not the hair idiot!" came from Alex. It was too funny to watch Alex, who was always composed, wrestling around like a little boy. Alex almost fell out of his chair and Hayden was laughing.

"So good to see my cousin again! We have to catch up. Let's go to a bar and have a toast later! I'll pay!" laughed Hayden merrily. Alex finally managed to remove Hayden's arms from around him. Sybil was laughing and Justine just smirked to herself. Alex fixed the button up shirt he had on. His hair was poking up in odd places now. Anna closed her eyes trying to keep from laughing at Alex. He loved his hair to be perfect. Alex scowled at Hayden who swaggered back over to his chair and plopped down into it. Anna laughed behind her hand. Alex stared at her and Hayden seemed pleased with himself that he made the pretty girl laugh.

"Stop laughing. It's not funny." Alex said grumpily and picked up a teacup. He poured himself some tea. Justine was chuckling behind her hand. Sybil just continued to sip on her tea like the whole thing was normal. Anna took a deep breath trying to calm herself down and looked at Alex's hair which sent her into another fit of giggles. She looked away from Alex at Justine who shrugged her shoulders and held a teacup near her mouth to hide her amused smile from the rest of the company. Anna finally got herself composed enough to turn back to Alex.

"I'm sorry. Here, let me fix your hair." Anna said and reached over to fix his hair. Alex looked like he was grinding his teeth as he held his teacup in one hand. Anna tried to push his hair down to lay flat. Alex moved his head away from her touch.

"Well, glad to see that the two boys get along so well still. You haven't called Hayden "it" yet which is a good sign." said Sybil. She finished her tea and stood up. She nodded her head towards Justine who stood as well. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted from traveling such a long way. I shall see you all at dinner." Sybil walked past Alex and patted him on the head then walked out of the room. Alex grit his teeth more. He slammed his teacup down onto the coffee table and stood up as well.

"I have some business to attend to." Alex said coldly.

"I'm sure. Just look at your hair. Better get to your comb and gel" laughed Hayden. Alex scowled.

"No, it's not my hair Cousin "It" that I have to attend to!" snapped Alex. Anna was giggling softly, the giggling fit was coming back. She wished it would stop but it was funny to watch Alex fight with his cousin.

"Well then, if you are too busy with business, I'm sure Anna wouldn't mind hanging out with me for a bit. I could...keep her company." Hayden smirked and nodded his head towards Anna. Anna suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Hayden.

"Yeah, I mean yes, we could go ride horses or play tennis." said Anna. She wouldn't mind having someone to hang out with for a bit. Alex was usually busy to be with Anna and school got in the way as well.

"You will do no such thing Anna." yelled Alex. Anna frowned at her husband. Justine placed her empty teacup onto the coffee table and stood up. She placed a hand on Anna's arm and looked at Alex.

"Let her go "hang out" with Hayden for a bit. It would be nice for her to have some company while you do your business Alex. Heaven knows I'm not very good company and I have my routine that I like to keep to" said Justine. Alex threw his hands up into the air and walked out of the room annoyed. He grumbled the whole way out and slammed the door behind him. Justine turned to Hayden "Mind that you be good." she said with a smirk then walked out of the room leaving Anna and Hayden alone.

"So, what would you like to do my lovely Princess?" Hayden asked. "I know what I would like to do but I don't think Alex would be too thrilled." he had a sly smirk forming on his lips. Anna blushed slightly, she was trying to gather her thoughts but it was hard with Hayden looking at her the way he was. It was like he was taking her clothes off with his eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do I make you nervous? I bet it's my charming smile and good looks." Hayden said casually and waved his hand like it was no big deal. Anna laughed.

"You make me a little nervous." Anna admitted then gasped. She couldn't believe how easily she said that. Hayden smiled lazily at her and plopped down onto the settee with legs stretched out in front of him. She tried to keep her eyes from looking over his long body, she focused hard on his gorgeous face. "How about we play tennis then after we could go swimming?" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, sounds good to me." he said and got up from the settee. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek. She jumped back and placed a hand on her cheek where he kissed her. His lips had felt warm and soft against her skin, the feel of his lips was not going away. "I'll see you in say ten minutes on the tennis court." he said. He walked off with a wave.

OOOOOO

A couple of hours later Anna was sitting by the pool. She was happy the castle had an indoor tennis/basketball court and pool. The weather outside was still cold and it was the first week of March. She had on a white bikini, her feet were in the luke-warm water. Hayden had on black swim trunks and was doing laps around the huge pool.

Their game of tennis was fun. Anna had a pleasant time playing tennis for once. Hayden talked about living in Italy and going to school. He also talked about visiting Alex in the summers growing up. He asked Anna questions about herself and her family. She liked the attention and that Hayden seemed interested in knowing more about her. Alex hardly asked her questions like these.

Anna was texting on her phone to Abby and Mitzy while she watched Hayden swim laps. She sighed softly and hit send. Abby sent a text back.

**I am so jealous you are in the pool with the Grand Duke. Did I mention I was jealous?**

"Who are you texting?" Hayden asked and pulled himself out of the pool to sit down beside her. She held her phone close to her chest and shook her head.

"Private stuff. Not for your eyes." she said and tried to ignore the water running down his broad shoulders and back. His skin glistened from the water. He gave her a heart stopping smile when her phone vibrated again. He plucked the phone from her hand easily. "Hey! That's my phone! Give it back!" she cried and tried to grab the phone from him. He laughed and held one arm out to keep her back. She hated that he was stronger than her. She slapped at his arm. He looked at her phone.

"Hm, a girl named Mitzy wants to see a picture of my body. Lovely. Glad to know I'm a sex god to your friend." Hayden said with a half smile. Anna scowled at him. "You shouldn't be talking about my body Princess." he shook his head with a serious look on his pretty face. He leaned in close, his arm went around her shoulder and held her close to his side to pin her against him. She couldn't move. He leaned in and whispered near her ear which was a little arousing. "What if your husband found out hm?" His nose brushed under her ear. She couldn't breathe and her heart was beating so quickly she was sure Hayden could hear it.

"Give me my phone." she managed to whisper. Hayden shrugged and let her go then handed the phone back to her. He climbed back into the water. His hand grabbed her ankle with an impish smile.

"You should join me Princess." Hayden said with that seductive smile of his.

"You should let go of my leg before I kick you." Anna smirked and kicked her free foot to splash him. He laughed and let her go. He dived back into the water. She got up and put her phone down onto her beach chair with her towel and flip flops. She climbed into the shallow section of the pool, the water came up to her hips.

"Well don't you look lovely in that bikini." said someone from behind her. She turned around and saw Alex in his swim trunks. His was dark blue with silver along the sides. He smiled and dropped his towel on top of Anna's things in the chair. He climbed into the pool beside her. Anna laughed and gently splashed him. He couldn't help but laugh too.

"You scared me." she grinned at him. Her eyes are lit up which made Alex's heart stop for a moment. He loved when she looked so happy. She looked even more beautiful. He cleared his throat.

"How is "It" treating you? He hasn't...done anything has he?" Alex asked and looked into her bright eyes.

"You asking her if I tried to feel her up or tried to stick my hand inside of her bikini bottom or something?" asked Hayden with a raised eyebrow. Hayden brushed his wet hair out of his eyes then headed over to them. "Trust me, I wanted to." he said with a smirk to annoy Alex which he knew it would work.

"Hey! Don't push it Hayden." scowled Alex and took a step towards his cousin.

"Actually, Hayden has been very pleasant company Alex. We talked a lot, played tennis then came for a swim is all." she reached for Alex's hand and squeezed it.

"See, I've been pleasant company today Alex. Been on my best behavior" he looked very innocent "Scouts honor, even though I've never been in Scouts." he said and held up his right hand. "Promise." Anna chuckled softly and leaned up to kiss Alex on the cheek. He seemed to calm down. Hayden swam to the side of the pool and picked up a beachball. He bounced the ball off the side of Alex's head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Alex asked and pulled away from Anna. He went for Hayden and dove under the water with arms stretched out. He grabbed Hayden's legs knocking him down under the water. Anna laughed as he and Hayden began to wrestle some in the water with lots of splashing. She backed away so she wouldn't be in the crossfire of all the splashing. She leaned back against the wall of the pool to watch two gorgeous men play fight in the water to show off. She thought about how envious Abby and Mitz would be if they knew what she was seeing in front of her.

OOOOOOO

"I don't think your cousin is that bad. I told you he was very pleasant to me today." Anna said to Alex much later that night. Alex went to the pub with Hayden . Hayden wouldn't stop bugging him about it until he said yes. They talked some about Anna then school. Alex had a couple of beers while Hayden seemed to buy the whole bar for himself. Alex had to drag Hayden's butt back into the limo and hoped no one took pictures of him carrying the Grand Duke's trashed body out of the pub.

Alex pulled off his button up shirt and slipped out of his slacks. Anna turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Alex raised a brow at her but smiled.

"Is there something you want Anna?" he asked with a husky voice. Anna kissed against his neck and her hand moved over his bare chest. He took a deep breath enjoying the attention he was given. He wrapped an arm around her small waist. She bit on his ear and he moaned in pleasure.

"Yes, there is something I want Alex." Anna said and looked up at him, she grabbed his shoulders to sit him on the bed. She stood between his legs. He pulled off her tank top so that her chest was bare. He smiled at her naked breasts and leaned forward but she stepped back before he could reach them. "Wait, there is something I want Alex."

"Well, I hope it's me because I know I want to you know..." he nodded towards her groin. She blushed and laughed.

"I want you to you know as well but first, could I invite Abby and Mitzy over soon for a sleepover?" Anna asked, she folded her arms over her breasts to cover them. Alex looked too distracted by them. He blinked and looked back up at her face.

"What? Oh yes, Abby and Mitzy. We never allow anyone who isn't important to come to the castle Anna." he said firmly. He got up from the bed and pulled on her arms to uncover her breasts. She wiggled away from him. He frowned at her.  
"They are important to me. Couldn't we use a couple of rooms for the sleepover? We would be out of your way." she pouted at him. He rolled his eyes before taking her by the waist and pulled her close to his body. She could clearly see the tent in his boxers.

"Fine, I'll see what I can do. Now can we please make love? I want..." he nodded his head towards his tent "in you know where.", he then poked his fingers right between her legs. She gasped out and slapped his hands away with a shake of her head. She shoved him back toward the bed and grabbed his shoulders. She pushed him down to lay the bed on his back. Her long legs straddled his hips and pulled his arms over his head. He growled softly at her. He was even more aroused. Anna leaned in to kiss his lips hard and urgently.


	15. Chapter 15: Men's Bodies

Chapter 15: Men's bodies

Anna finished her typing her e-mail to Michael. She sat back in her chair to re-read what she wrote and made a couple of changes before she hit send. She told him about Hayden arriving at the castle, school and general stuff like the weather. She sighed softly and closed her eyes for a moment. She smiled to herself as she thought about Michael's smile. He had said he would be back for Spring Break and hoped they could hang out when he got home.

Anna suddenly wondered about that girl that Alex use to date before she ran off to France. She hated that girl. Her name was Katalina and a huge snob. She always said mean things to Anna during lunch and an classes they happen to be in together. Anna groaned some and shook her head. She was not sure why she suddenly thought about Katalina. It has been over a year since that girl left. She wondered if Alex and Katalina had sex but then remembered that Alex had said it was his first time during their honeymoon.

She stretched her arms above her head. She had to stop thinking about that girl. She was bad news. She heard a knock on the bedroom door. It has been over a week since she asked Alex if her friends could come over. He had to pull some strings for clearance for them with security.

"Come in."

A maid curtsied to Anna with a smile. "Miss, two young ladies are here." she stepped aside and Abby and Mitzy burst into the room. Anna got up from her chair and ran over to her friends with a squeal.

"You guys are here!" Anna yelled and jumped up and down. They group hugged before breaking apart. Abby and Mitzy looked around her bedroom which was clean. Anna was happy that maids come in every day to clean because her and Alex leave the room a mess. They both seemed pretty interested in her bedroom.

"So, this is the bed where you do the nasty with the prince huh?" asked Abby as she plopped down onto the edge of the bed. Mitzy placed her hands on the bed testing out how bouncy it was.

"Er, well, let's not talk about my sex life please." Anna said with a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"Well, I love your room." Mitzy said in awe as she looked around more and opened up Alex's closet. Mitzy's eyes got really wide seeing his clothes lined up inside and reached out a hand to touch a shirt.

"Ok, yeah, you are creeping me out." Anna laughed and closed the closet door so Mitzy would keep her paws off Alex's clothes. Anna knew that Mitzy was a huge Alex fan and like most of the women in the country, they would kill to have a chance to even stand in his bedroom. Mitzy pouted at Anna before she turned away and opened the door to the bathroom with a loud gasp. Abby hopped of the bed to peer over Mitzy's shoulder at the huge bathroom.

"Whoa, you have a majorly nice bathroom. Look at that shower with two shower heads. Your tub is like olympic sized." Abby breathed and looked envious. Mitzy stepped into the bathroom to touch the marble counter tops and peer inside of the tub. "So, where are the two gorgeous studs huh?" Abby asked and placed her hands on her hips.

"They are both in the game room. Hayden and Alex always seem to be competing over something." Anna said and rolled her eyes. She opened the door of her bedroom and pointed. "Let's go check on what they are doing." Abby and Mitzy followed her out of the room and oohed and awed behind her at various things they were seeing such as suits of armour and old paintings from the 14th century.

Anna showed them into the game room where Alex and Hayden were playing a video game on the floor in front of the huge tv screen. Both men seem to be very into their game and insulting each other. Abby and Mitzy giggled softly watching them. Anna walked toward Alex and gently flicked his ear. He looked up at her and pushed pause on the game.

"What are you...oh, the lovely girls are here." Hayden said as he looked up at Anna as well with a smile. He quickly got to his feet and ruffled up his dirty blonde hair. Anna could hear her two friends twittering behind her. Hayden put on his most charming smile at the girls when he got to them. He introduced himself and the two girls introduced themselves as well. "Oh, so you are Mitzy who asked about a picture of me." he said with a raised brow at the small girl. Mitzy blushed hard and looked away from his pretty face. She did nod that yes, she was the one who asked.

Hayden pulled off his shirt in which it caused Abby and Mitzy to gasp then giggle nervously. He stepped out of his jeans so he's left in his blue boxers. He tossed his clothes aside with a playful smirk. Anna rolled her eyes at him but secretly she was a bit thrilled to see his muscular body once more.

"Hayden, put your clothes on!" shouted Alex who was still seated in front of the tv. Anna blushed some and looked away ashamed at herself for looking at Hayden. Alex has a great body too and she should be happy about that but maybe seeing Hayden's was thrilling because she knew she wasn't allowed.

"Nonsense, besides Anna has seen me in my swimming trunks. What's the difference?" Hayden said with a sexy voice toward the two friends. "Now, you can take a picture if you like." he winked toward Mitzy. Mitzy gasped and fumbled to get her phone out of her pocket.

"Mitzy! No, don't do that." Anna cried and hurried over to Mitzy to keep her from taking a photo. "Hayden, put your clothes back on." Anna scowled at him but felt the corners of her lips turn up.

"Actually, I think he should keep his clothes off." Abby replied, her eyes were huge as she raked over Hayden's muscular body. Hayden winked at Abby who grinned back at him.

"My kind of girl." Hayden said. He draped an arm over Abby's shoulder. Mitzy managed to get her phone away from Anna's grasping hands and snapped a picture. Hayden kissed Abby's cheek. Abby squeaked in surprise. Mitzy handed the phone to Abby.

"Here, take a picture of us now, Abby!" said Mitzy excitedly. Hayden laughed and switched girls. Mitzy was shorter than Abby but he didn't seem to mind. He leaned his head in close and draped an arm over her shoulders. Abby took a couple of pictures. Anna shoved Hayden's clothes into his hands and pushed him away from Abby and Mitzy.

"Get dressed Hayden." she growled menacingly, she did not want the girls to take any more pictures of him without clothes. Hayden laughed while he pulled his shirt back on to cover his gorgeous upper body.

"Well, now that Hayden is putting his clothes back on, what are you girls doing tonight?" asked Alex with a raised brow. Abby pouted a bit once Hayden put on his jeans. Hayden's eyes looked over Abby's long body with a smirk and decided that she would be great to make-out with. He just had to get her alone somehow and knew that she will find a way to break away from the girls.

"We will be watching some chick-flicks and talking about girly things." Abby said, never taking her eyes off Hayden.

"I'll take them to the other room now." Anna said and quickly grabbed Abby's and Mitzy's hands. She pulled them out of the game room. She heard Hayden say somewhat loudly to Alex "Pity they couldn't stay. I would have loved to have gotten to know them both a bit more...ouch, don't hit me".

The girls stayed in one of the large guest bedrooms that had a small living room attached off to the side. They watched movies on the flat screen and chatted. The servants kept bringing in more sodas and junk food for them to eat. At one point when Anna was trying to tame and braid Mitzy's crazy, curly hair they both noticed that Abby had gone missing. They were not sure for how long she had been missing. Anna and Mitzy were so engrossed in the movie they did not see Abby slip out of the room. Anna tied a hair band at the end of Mitzy's braid and stood up from behind Mitzy.

"I wonder where Abby went. I seriously did not see her leave." Anna said with a puzzled look on her face. Mitzy paused the movie and stood up as well. "Let's go look for her. I bet that girl got lost." Anna chuckled. Both girls roamed the hallways looking for Abby. They decided to split up and look. Anna spotted Abby coming up the hallway not long after. Abby was looking at paintings on the walls. Anna smiled and sighed with relief.

"There you are Abby. We had no idea where in the hell you went!" Anna cried and wrapped her arms around Abb giving her a hug. Abby laughed and hugged her back.

"Yeah, I got a little bit lost but I got to see a bit more of this awesome home you live in." Abby said but truth be told she was in a closet with Hayden. She had gone out when Anna and Mitzy were glued to the tv screen. Abby then asked a servant where the game room was located and found Hayden. He took her hand with that gorgeous smile of his and lead her to a closet that was mostly empty. He had pressed her against the wall and kissed her hard. Her knees had turned weak and she had to lean against him to keep herself up. She had no idea how long she was in that closet for but finally Hayden broke the intense kissing session which left them both panting for air. He walked out of the closet without saying much. Abby ran off down the hallway trying to remember where the guest bedroom was until Anna found her. Anna looked over Abby with suspicion.

"You looked a little rumpled." Anna said and squinted her eyes as she looked over her friend. Abby just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, lets get back to the room." Anna heard running footsteps coming up the hallway and Mitzy came around the corner with wild eyes and some of her curly hair coming out of her braid.

"There you are Abby!" Mitzy cried then took a deep breath to catch her breath. She had run into Hayden a minute ago. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him which made Mitzy's heart pound wildly. He kissed her cheek before letting her go and bid her goodnight. She felt like she was on cloud nine. She wanted to keep this secret to herself. She got kissed by the Grand Duke who looked like a god. "Lets go back and finish off the movie." Mitzy said after catching her breath. The girls headed back to the bedroom once more.

A couple of hours later there was a loud knock on the door and Alex popped his head into the bedroom. He scanned the room and found Anna seated between Abby and Mitzy. He had on a gray t-shirt and black striped pajama pants. His dark hair was sticking out in places. He stepped into the room and all three girls looked over. Abby and Mitzy giggled at seeing the prince in pajamas but both found that he looked gorgeous in whatever he wore.

"Anna, I'm going to bed. Let's go." he nodded his head towards the door. Anna stayed where she was at which irked him. "Anna, let's go to bed."

"I'm not going to bed with you tonight Alex. My friend's are here so I'll be staying with them." Anna said firmly. Alex stepped closer to the girls and grabbed Anna's wrist to pull her to her feet.

"Come on. It's bedtime." he said with more force and pulled on her. She got to her feet and wrenched her wrist from his grasp. She tried to keep her temper and shook her head.

"No, Alex. I'm staying here with Abby and Mitzy." she said firmly. She saw Alex's face fall then he scowled at her. Abby and Mitzy huddled close together watching Anna and Alex. Abby finally got up and patted Anna on the bed.

"You can go Anna. I'm sure Alex here wants to... ahem...play with you. Mitzy and I will be fine." Abby said with a little smirk and gave Alex a wink. Alex only scowled at Abby.

"No, I'm staying here. It's just one night. You can handle me not being in the bed with you for one night." Anna challenged him. Alex lifted his chin up and stared down at his wife with a sly smirk.

"Fine, stay here then. I will sleep without you for one night." he growled at Anna which aroused her. He stepped close to Anna, so close that Abby had to step back away from her friend. He leaned in and whispered into her ear "I hate sleeping without you but I'll do it." he then kissed her cheek. The whispering in her ear made Anna shiver with pleasure and her hands gripped his shoulders. She did not want him to move. His body was pressed nicely against the front of hers and she could feel the heat radiating from him. He leaned down to press his lips against her temple then just under her ear. She shoved him back. She knew he was trying to entice her to going to bed so he could get what he wanted. He almost won.

"Go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." she said with a smirk. He sighed and stepped away. "Goodnight Alex." she said and waved. Abby and Mitzy both said in unison "Goodnight Alex" then fell into fits of giggles. Alex glared at the girls, he hated their giggling and made him feel self-conscious. Alex closed the door behind him and sulked for a moment before going to their bedroom.

"Aw, he didn't look happy you said no." Mitzy said and laid back on the carpet. She peered up at Anna. Anna plopped down beside Mitzy and stroked her friend's hair.

"He will be fine. He just hates not having his way. He's so spoiled." Anna rolled her eyes. Abby sat down beside Anna and popped a cookie into her mouth thinking for a moment.

"He is like a little kid huh. It's kind of cute I guess. I wouldn't mind having someone to lay next to at night." Abby said with a loud dramatic sigh and looked off into space. She had a little smile on her lips. She should have been thinking about John laying next to her but all she could see was Hayden in his blue boxers laying in her bed. Mitzy looked off into space for a moment as well as she thought about Hayden and her laying in bed then she made a soft squeal. Anna laughed.

"What the hell are you squealing about? You dreaming about you and Raj laying side by side holding hands in bed?" grinned Anna and poked Mitzy on the nose. Mitzy wrinkled her nose. Anna reached for the bag of cookies and pulled one out.

"Er...yes, I was." said Mitzy embarrassed. Abby grinned at both Anna and Mitzy. She grabbed Anna's hand.

"So, tell us Princess. What is it like to lay in the same bed as Alex?" Abby boldly asked. Anna threw her half eaten cookie at Abby. It hit Abby in the stomach then fell into her lap. Abby picked up the cookie to finish it. "Tell us Anna!"

"Oh, shut up! Ok fine. Sometimes it's really lovely. Just laying down beside him. When he sleeps he looks so beautiful. When he is not in the bed it feels cold and a little lonely." she blushed. Abby and Mitzy then broke out into laughter.

" "When he sleeps he looks so beautiful!" what the hell?" gasped Abby between her laughs.

"Well you asked and I told you how I felt. He really is beautiful." scowled Anna and shoved Abby.

"You are right. He is beautiful, well gorgeous in fact with those dark brown eyes of his and muscular body. His dark hair and how it falls across his forehead" Abby swooned then she thought about Hayden too. She smiled to herself. Mitzy could only agree on what Abby said about Alex. Mitzy sat up and picked up a bag of chips, she held the bag between her crossed legs.

"Er, ok shut up Abby. That is my husband you are talking about." Anna pounced onto Abby and pinned her down to the floor with a laugh. Abby wiggled under Anna.

"Abby is right. He is gorgeous and so is his cousin." Mitzy said factually. All three girls ended up laughing again.


End file.
